Gardening in dry soil doesn’t mean sacrificing beauty or colour. With a thoughtful plant selection, you can create a resilient, low-maintenance garden bursting with life. Here are our top ten favourite plants that not only tolerate but flourish in dry soil:
1. Lavandula angustifolia (English Lavender)
English lavender is renowned for its deep purple flowers and compact growth habit. It thrives in well-drained, dry soils and is perfect for adding fragrance and colour to your garden. ‘Hidcote’ and ‘Munstead’ are both well known deep purple varieties. White- and pink-flowered varieties can also be found. English lavenders are hardier than the French lavenders but all are drought tolerant.
2. Erigeron karvinskianus (Mexican Flea Bane)
Mexican flea bane is much easier to pronounce than its Latin name! This is a small daisy flowered perennial forming mats and clumps and will happily seed itself into cracks in walls and pavements. It bears white and pink flowers in profusion all summer and often through autumn only being halted by frost. It holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit and pollinators love it too.
3. Perovskia (Russian Sage)
Also known as Russian sage, this shrub has aromatic silvery-white stems and foliage with lilac-purple flowers in panicles from late summer to autumn. It’s perfect for a Mediterranean garden and thrives on neglect. Once established, it’s drought tolerant — and bees love it.
4. Salvia
These popular, fast-growing plants bloom for a long period in summer and early autumn, producing tubular, two-lipped flowers in almost every colour. Easy to grow, they’re suitable for beds, borders and containers. They are also a magnet for pollinators.
5. Stipa tenuissima
A neat, compact, perennial grass. In summer, masses of elegant pale feathery seed-heads are held above the foliage wafting gracefully in a breeze, bringing movement to a garden. Mix with other perennials in a border or a pot for best effect.
6. Abelia x grandiflora (Glossy Abelia)
These medium-sized shrubs have glossy green or variegated semi-evergreen leaves and clusters of pale pink or white flowers over a long period from mid-summer. Great for a lush look in a dry border.
7. Nepeta (Catmint)
Dependable drought-resistant perennials which flower for months in summer with soft silvery aromatic foliage and mostly lavender-blue flowers. Also known as catmint, they have a lax habit making them good for softening the edges of borders or hard landscaping.
8. Eryngium (Sea Holly)
Sea hollies have spiky leaves and thistle-like flowers in colours ranging from grey to intense cobalt blue, surrounded by a characteristic ‘ruff’. They make striking garden plants and have excellent wildlife value, particularly for pollinators. Leave the dried heads standing for winter interest.
9. Erysimum ‘Bowles Mauve’ (Perennial Wallflower)
This perennial wallflower produces clusters of mauve flowers at the tips of its stems from spring to autumn. It has even been known to flower during mild winters. It was shortlisted for Plant of the Centenary for the decade 1973-1982 and holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
10. Santolina chamaecyparissus (Cotton Lavender)
Cotton Lavender is a dwarf mounding shrub with feathery, aromatic silver foliage all year round. In summer it produces small button head yellow flowers. It is excellent for the edges of borders, raised beds or gravel gardens.
Dry Soil Planting Guide:
- Soil Preparation: Incorporate organic matter to improve soil structure and water retention. Compost or leaf mould are great for this.
- Mulching: Apply a layer of mulch in spring to reduce evaporation and maintain soil moisture. Materials such as bark, compost or gravel work well.
- Watering: During the first season, water deeply but infrequently to encourage deep root growth.
- Plant Selection: Choose drought-tolerant plants like the ones listed above to ensure garden success.
Looking to transform your dry garden space? Visit your local Tates of Sussex Garden Centre for expert advice and a wide range of drought-tolerant plants. Let’s make your garden flourish!
