Alan Titchmarsh names five best drought-resistant plants

As Brits recover from a third scorching heatwave, with warnings of a fourth period of sweltering weather to come, it’s time to accept that baking-hot summers are now the new normal, and gardeners will need to start planning ahead for dryer weather.

With gardeners in Yorkshire being told that they may be barred from using their hosepipes until the winter, and many others areas of the UK likely to follow suit, it’s a good idea to start thinking about a drought-resistant garden.

Gardeners’ World and Ground Force expert Alan Titchmarsh has taken to YouTube to list a handful of plants that can thrive even though the most strict hosepipe bans: “I’m always looking for drought-resistant plants that can cope with less water,” he says.

The Sun Rose 

The delicate blooms of Cistus Pulverulentus Sunset, which Alan describes as looking like “they’ve been made from tissue paper,” belie its hardy nature. 

“Cystus is a shrub which is semi evergreen,” Alan says, “It’s fairly low. It tends to make low mounds and in that respect, it’s really useful, particularly in small gardens.”

Those delicate flowers come along in late spring and early summer, and while each one will only last a short time, it will soon be followed by another one.

The Rock Rose

Helianthemum ”scrambles over rocks in a rock garden,” Alan says, or it can provide an excellent decorative edge to borders.

It’s another low-growing plant, he adds: “It never grows much more than about nine inches to a foot high. And it can be studded with flowers of either white, yellow, pink or orange.” The variation Alan picked, which is called “The Bride,” features flowers that are white with a yellow centre, like miniature fried eggs.

The Rock Rose thrives in really dry, arid, rocky conditions: “You don’t need to grow it in a rock garden,” Alan says “Just make sure that with all these plants, as well as enjoying sunshine, the soil is well drained.”

Stonecrop

Sedum is a hardy long-lived perennial that, with a little care, will flower reliably for many summers to come. Alan picked out the Sedum Sunsparkler Plum Dazzled as his personal favourite.

Despite thriving in warm, dry conditions, Sedum is known as “the ice plant,” and Alan explains the remarkable reason why.

“When you feel the leaves, even on a warm day, they’re cold to the touch,” he says, adding that they’re a great asset in a sensory garden for children.

They’re also a good choice for late summer interest, Alan adds: “If you’ve got a garden that is always at its best in June and then it sort of fizzles out come the end of summer. The sedums are fab, flowering right the way through July, August, September on towards the frost.”

Sea Holly

Alan says that Eryngium are really effective plants for a warm, hot, dry, sunny border. “They have really thick roots,” he says, “and those thick roots are capable of drilling down and finding moisture where they need them.”

Unlike the previous entries in Alan’s list, they can grow quite tall, meaning that Eryngium can be placed towards the back of a display. They’re also an excellent choice, dried, to provide an indoor floral display during the winter.

Lily of the Nile

Agapanthus takes the number one spot in Alan’s list. It’s a much more forgiving plant than it used to be, he says: “They used to be quite tender. Hardier ones have been bred now. And the label on this plant claims it will go down to minus 12° C, provided that drainage at the roots is good.”

While you can find white varieties, Alan prefers the classic vivid blue of Ever Sapphire, which he says is set off particularly well when placed in a classic terracotta pot.

It will thrive in well-drained soil that receives full sun, and as an additional bonus, Agapanthus is quite resistant to most garden pests.