Following yet another hot and rain-free summer people are trying to find plants which can cope with drought. Management of the park and gardens also has to respond to the impact of climate change. In addition to flooding, we must anticipate extended periods of intense heat and drought.
We try to build resilience by identifying plants with drought-tolerant features such as fleshy leaves or root systems that store water, as long as they are also hardy enough for British winters.
Particular leaf forms can signal drought tolerance. Plants with succulent fleshy leaves, or furry textured leaves, or tiny needle leaves, or grey glaucous leaves, or waxy leathery leaves have generally evolved to resist losing moisture. But on the flipside, they won’t like winter wet! The following are examples of relatively hardy, drought-tolerant plants.
The deciduous variety can stay outdoors over winter, it just needs mulch to protect from frost and getting waterlogged. A fleshy root system helps it to store water through drought periods.
This lavender has thin silvery grey, waxy leaves, reducing evaporation. It is hardy even in frost.
With its little white daisy-like flowers fading to pink, it is long-flowering, self-seeding, and will grow anywhere, even in walls or paving stones, or cascading in a rockery.
Tough, hardy, easy to propagate and self-seeds. Striking golden foliage. A Mediterranean plant, it endures dry summers and catches winter rain.
This sedum has fleshy bright green leaves and is fully hardy for UK winters, but dislikes being cold and waterlogged for long periods, so best in free-draining or sandy soil.