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Some like it hot
This summer is set to be one of the hottest on record so stand by for hosepipe bans and water shortages. Choose your plants wisely, though, and you can still create a stunning, colourful garden that will flourish even in the driest months
We all love the traditional, lush English flower garden, but it needs plenty of gentle (and nowadays rare) summer rain to keep it looking good. But don't worry, there's an exciting alternative. Just take a look at some of the world's drier regions and you'll find plenty of inspiration for a wide range of colourful, healthy plants that positively enjoy the water challenge.
Fit for the desert
Plan your garden around a basic planting of drought-tolerant shrubby evergreens and 'evergreys'. All the lavenders are suitable but Lavandula dentata and the Mediterranean L. stoechas are the best. Almost totally drought resistant are the sun roses (Cistus) which will grow in very poor soil. Other grey-leaved shrubs are Russian sage (Perovskia), the cotton lavenders (Santolina chamaecyparissus and S. rosmarinifolia), Jerusalem sage (Phlomis fruticosa), and the cut-leaved artemisias, especially A. abrotanum, A. 'Powis Castle' and A. arborescens.
Plant elephant's ears (Bergenia, pictured) among the greys and their glossy leaves will come into their own in winter. For spring colour, add in bulbs that appreciate a real baking in summer. These include many of the tulip species - Tulipa forsteriana, T. greigii, T. kauffmannia, T. clusiana - as well as grape hyacinths, cyclamens and the Algerian iris (Iris unguicularis). Flowering a little later are the alliums with their purple drumstick flowers. Allium hollandicum 'Purple Sensation' is especially good.
Hardy lawns
Among the grasses, for height use pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana) or the spectacular Spanish oat grass (Stipa gigantea) that produces huge, shimmering seedheads in late spring. Others are blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens) and blue fescue (Festuca glauca), both of which will provide good spiky accents among lower growing rockery-type perennials such as thymes, sedums and rock roses (Helianthemum, pictured).
Other flowering plants to try are the globe thistle (Echinops ritro), sea hollies (Eryngium), red hot pokers (Kniphofias, pictured) and several of the verbenas, especially the tall, purple Verbena bonariensis. The yarrows or achilleas are good, too, with flat heads of flowers ranging from palest yellow, through oranges to ruby reds. All these need little attention beyond a tidy up of old stems in spring.
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