Drought resistant plants

Drought Resistant Plants

With our increasingly hot summers drought-resistant plants are becoming particularly useful for gardeners. Many plants around the world are naturally adapted to growing in dry conditions.

Drought Resistant Plants

With our increasingly hot summers drought-resistant plants are becoming particularly useful for gardeners. Many plants around the world are naturally adapted to growing in dry conditions.

You can often tell if a plant is adapted to growing in these conditions because their leaves are waxy, succulent, hairy, sticky, small, needle-like, scented or silver in colour. If these plants are well looked after in their first season they will be very forgiving of dry conditions in future years.

There are also many other ways that you can save water, view our top tips for saving water in the garden.

To find out more about which drought-resistant plants are right for your garden, see the tables below for some inspiration on drought-resistant shrubs, flowers and grasses for both full sun and shade:

Drought resistant plants for full sun

Drought resistant shrubs and trees: Drought resistant perennials and biennials: Drought resistant annual flowers: Drought resistant grasses: Drought resistant ground cover
Buddleja Achillea Californian Poppy Anemanthele lessoniana Creeping Phlox
Eucalyptus Alliums Gazania FestucaDelosperma
FigAnthemisMesembryanthemumLeymus arenariusEvening Primrose
HelianthemumAsclepiasOsteospermumPennisetumThyme
LavenderBerlandieraPoppies (Papaver)Stipa 
RosemaryCampanula pyramidalisSenecio cineraria  
SageCentaurea (Mixed)Wallflower  
 Echinops   
 Eryngium   
 Evening Primrose   
 Gaillardia   
 Iris   
 Kniphofia   
 Osteospermum (Hardy)   
 Poppies (Papaver)   
 Salvia (perennial varieties)   
 Sedum   
 Verbascum   
 Verbena   
 Wallflower  

Drought resistant plants for shade

Drought resistant plants for shade
Anemanthele lessoniana
Cyclamen ‘All the year round’, Cyclamen neapolitanum, Cyclamen Coum
Euphorbia
Foxglove
Geranium pratense
Honesty
Hypericum
Lily of the Valley
Ophiopogon planiscapus 'Nigrescens'
Sarcococca

There is a wide range of low-maintenance plants that can cope with dry conditions and sunny south-facing borders. Visit our comprehensive hub page for more info and advice on growing drought proof plants.

Sue Sanderson T&M horticulturalist

Written by: Sue Sanderson

Plants and gardens have always been a big part of my life. I can remember helping my Dad to prick out seedlings, even before I could see over the top of the potting bench. As an adult, I trained at Writtle College where I received my degree, BSc. (Hons) Horticulture. After working in a specialist plantsman's nursery, and later, as a consulting arboriculturalist, I joined Thompson & Morgan in 2008. Initially looking after the grounds and coordinating the plant trials, I now support the web team offering horticultural advice online.

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