Performance planting

To get the best out of your garden, choose plants that will go the distance during a dry spell, like these drought-tolerant and ground-covering plants.

DROUGHT-TOLERANT BEAUTIES

Choose plants that will thrive in an unwatered garden. Most succulents will be perfectly happy in the dry and sandy conditions of a coastal garden and many Mediterranean and South African favourites are perfectly at home in hot and dry conditions. As a rule of thumb, a plant’s foliage is a good indicator to its drought tolerance. Plants with fine foliage, grey-leafed or waxy-leafed plants, and those with furry leaves tend to transpire less than their larger, glossier-leafed counterparts – thus requiring less water.

Plants suitable for dry settings include:

• Bougainvillea

• Gazania (African daisy)

• lavender

• Mesembryanthemum (ice plant)

• Pelargonium (geranium)

• Stachys byzantina (lamb’s ear)

RELIABLE GROUND-COVERS

These plants assist your soil by preventing water loss and erosion, plus they assist us gardeners by discouraging weeds (as well as looking good). For the best results, always choose ground-cover plants that will thrive in the existing conditions rather than those that need to be cosseted. So if the ground is dry and in full sun choose a proven drought-tolerant favourite such as echeverias or mat-forming sedums. A shadier spot might be better suited to hellebores or Ajuga species. Tried and true ground-cover herbs include thyme, oregano, marjoram, comfrey (also a great dynamic accumulator), chamomile, nasturtium and catmint.

For a more permanent native ground cover, consider renga renga (Arthropodium cirratum), New Zealand daphne (Pimelea prostrata), cushion plant (Scleranthus biflorus) or Coprosma repens ‘Prostrata’.