Environment
20 Drought Tolerant Plants & Trees for Gardening with Climate Change
Severe droughts are now affecting so many areas of life, including our gardens. With global temperatures increasing year on year, we are experiencing hotter summers and less rainfall which can wreak havoc on our plants. It also means we may use precious water simply to keep plants alive when it may be needed more urgently elsewhere. We wanted to list some drought tolerant plants that are a great way to have a beautiful landscape without too much resource!
How you can make your garden more drought resistant to start!
The RHS has some wonderful tips for planting with drought and water saving in mind, so we wanted to share some of their top tips below before you start gardening!
Choose plants with grey-green or silver leaves as they reflect the sun’s rays, helping to conserve moisture within the plant tissues.
Try to choose plants which suit the site’s soil type and aspect. They will be more tolerant of varying climatic conditions as well as of pest and disease problems.
Plant things while they are still small. They will develop much greater resilience as they adapt to their conditions from a young age. Ideally plant in autumn so they can do some growing before dry weather arrives.
If planting Mediterranean plants, do so in spring when the soil is warming up. Many of these plants will suffer from root-rot if planted in autumn and become cold and damp over winter.
Thoroughly water in all new plants (and keep them watered in the first season after planting to ensure they establish well). Once established, they will become much more drought-tolerant.
After planting, mulch the bed with 5-7.5cm (2-3in) of gravel or, even better, a layer of compost or straw covered with gravel, to help retain moisture while the plants establish.
Consider making a gravel garden. These are low maintenance and are a good option if you already have sandy or gravelly soil.
Top tip: Choose plants with grey-green or silver leaves as they reflect the sun’s rays, helping to conserve moisture within the plant tissues.
Plants
Here we list some easy going plants that thrive in dry weather and are great alternatives to grass and more water intensive plants. We would suggest putting these in your front yard in place of more thirsty plants in order to help save water when it comes to your garden and yard! They also look wonderful and are easy to keep alive.
1. Mescal Agave
2. Cape Daisy
3. Sea Holly
4. Rock Rose
5. Palms
6. Bougainvillea
7. Pampas grass
8. Acacia
9. Rosemary
10. Asters
Trees
As temperatures continue to rise, consider planting some of these drought-tolerant trees. When they are big enough, they are also great at providing some shade to your garden to make sitting out in the heat a little more pleasant.
1. Eucalyptus Pauciflora
2. Ginkgo Biloba
3. Gleditsia Triacanthos
4. Cedrus Atlantica
5. Pyrus Calleryana
6. Shagbark Hickory
7. Red Maples
8. Crape Myrtles
9. Sumacs
10. American Elms
