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Drought resistant plants for the border

Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
edited July 2022 in Plants
I’m sure I’m not alone in considering which plants to buy to fill the gaps in my borders left by scorched and damaged plants thanks to our excessive heat… 

The perennials that look best now in my beds are penstemon, agapanthus and echinops…

Suggestions as to what worked well for you?

Many thanks!
Lincolnshire
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Posts

  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Going to the extreme of hot and dry, I have a completely un-watered raised bed in full sun, with a very sandy soil, that I "look after"... it's been a tough year for the plants, but Sesleria autumnalis, Sedum 'Jose Aubergine', and Dianthus carthusianorum have all done fine. Asphodeline lutea did great earlier in the year.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • NollieNollie Posts: 7,529
    Penstemon and agapanthus here too, plus shrubby salvias (but not nemorosas) established roses, helenium Waltraut (but not Moerheim Beauty), gaura, agastache, hardy geraniums, verbascum, asphodel. If your thinking of buying drought tolerant plants, do bear in mind they still need watering in drought periods to look good and consider whether they will cope with your soil, drainage (or lack thereof) and winter conditions 
    Mountainous Northern Catalunya, Spain. Hot summers, cold winters.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Consider planting a shading belt. 
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Osteospermums that overwintered in the ground have survived and continued to flower in baked clay. Newly planted ones probably would have succumbed. Snow in summer would probably survive anything. Gaura (again established) have gone really well. The pink and the white. I think the one with variegated leaves is lurking alive at the back of the bed. Plumbago seems ok.  Helebores are looking ok too.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    Eryngiums are doing well here and self sowing in very dry bits of the garden.   Gaura are fine and cannas too plus established roses and heleniums. 

    Established dianthus are fine but ones I planted earlier this spring are struggling.

    I'm busy researching drought tolerant plants from Oz and SA and co. 
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    edited July 2022
    In my garden, it definitely looks as if established plants cope much better with the heat and drought.
    You'll need to plant things and hope for a mild winter and summer to get them up to speed.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I have grown Santolina rosmarinifolia in my south facing front garden for many years it has never done so well as it has this year. Also Calamagrostis and Stipa are amazing. I agree with B3 the more established and also the tougher plants seem to be OK.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    Go solid fennel
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Ornamental grasses like Miscanthus, Calamagrostis and Panicum will fill gaps and give you winter interest.  Mine have all have survived the heat without any watering. 
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    edited July 2022
    Californian poppies in various shades. Verbena rigida. Erigeron. I find heucheras pretty hard core. My geranium Rozanne much tougher than I thought - planted in a sandy bed with no water, full sun and it's doing fine.
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