TOP DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS

All of these will need watering to establish their roots when newly planted, but they are then well equipped to fend for themselves in dry weather.

BUDDLEIA Great for butterflies and a stalwart of the summer garden, buddleia is so self-sufficient that it thrived on London bomb-sites after the war and can grow on the pure gravel of railway embankments. Prune it hard back each spring. Flowers Jul-Sep Height x Spread 3m x 5m

CISTUS The sun roses are wonderful plants, with leaves that are often downy and flowers that seem to be made of tissue paper. They will grow to around waist height and can be lightly clipped after flowering in early summer to keep them youthful. F Jun-Jul H x S 1m x 1m

ERYNGIUM Fat roots ensure that the sea holly and its relatives can store enough water to see them through prolonged dry spells. E. giganteum is known as ‘Miss Willmott’s Ghost’ since that venerable plantswoman used to scatter the seeds in her friends’ gardens. She pops up in mine every year. F Jun-Aug H x S 90cm x 30cm

LAVENDER Wonderful for edging paths and borders, lavender makes grey mounds of foliage (equipped to reduce water loss) topped with purple or white flowers in summer. Don’t expect the plants to live forever. Five years is good going, but a light clip after flowering can make them last longer. F Jun-Sep

H x S 60-100cm x 45-100cm

RED VALERIAN Happy to grow even in the crevices of walls. Both the red- and whiteflowered kinds are welcome early-summer blooms. They will seed themselves about, but are easy enough to uproot so they don’t become a nuisance. F Jun-Aug H x S 1m x 45cm