This article was written for Housecharm by Inge Berrie from Berrie Garden Design.
Inge is a professional Garden Designer based in Surrey who provides a range of garden design services including consultancy, full garden design, planting schemes and landscaping.
For more professional advice or to find out more about Berrie Garden Design, go to www.berriegardendesign.co.uk
The structural plants which form the background to the garden are usually reliable in dry conditions, such as Aucuba japonica (Spotted Laurel), Prunus laurocerasus (Laurel), Taxus baccata (Yew), Ceanothus and Choisya ternata. The advantage of these shrubs is that they are also evergreen.
Established trees will also tolerate the dry conditions, so it is worth planting these in your garden too. Trees are not only environmentally friendly plants but they add height and interest to the garden as well as providing shade for more vulnerable plants and wildlife.
Some beautiful flowering perennials and shrubs which will tolerate the heat , such as Achillea, Buddleja, Lavenders, Cistus, Hebes , Escallonia 'Donard Seedling' and Verbena bonariensis.
In dry conditions it important to have ground cover plants, to stop water from evaporating from the soil. Bergenia cordifolia with its fleshy, evergreen leaves will survive dry and moist conditions in the sun or shade. The small shrub Euonymus fortunei 'Emerald Gaiety' will act as an evergreen ground cover too and add interest to the border with its variegated leaves. The friendly and easy to grow Alchemilla mollis is also a survivor in the dry conditions and looks stunning with dew drops on the leaves.
Herbs also act as an effective ground cover. Particularly pungent and attractive herbs such as rosemary and sage will fit into most garden designs and they have a practical use.
If you want to cover your walls with climbers, Passiflora caerulea and Clematis armandii are tough evergreen climbers which will reward you with attractive flowers.
Grasses such as Miscanthus sinensis and Festuca glauca are elegant and will survive the heat. In a design these combine well with Sedums which will also do well in very dry soil.
Even drought tolerant plants need water at some stage, so do keep an eye out for signs of leaves drooping or drying out on the edges. Soil should also be improved to maximise its ability to hold onto moisture, thus giving plants a better chance to survive. Clay in particular goes rock hard in dry conditions and benefits from being mixed with compost and organic material to form a reliable medium in which plants can survive dry and wet conditions.
If you are planting any new plants in dry conditions, ensure that they are kept well watered in the first year after being planted, as they are most vulnerable in dry conditions.
Don't turn to the Mediterranean garden just yet, as there are some versatile plants in the UK which will survive drought and wet conditions.
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