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Telegraph
08-07-2025
- General
- Telegraph
10 of the best droughtproof plants
The past few weeks have been a bit of a learning curve, because we've had an extremely dry spring followed by the warmest, driest June since 1976. It's both impossible, and irresponsible, to water the entire garden, so I've concentrated on the containers, the greenhouses and any new additions showing signs of distress. Everything else is taking its chance. My phloxes have flagged, my Veronicastrums look miserably hunched and my monardas aren't going to flower for me this year. However, there are positives too. Certain plants have gloried in the dry heat and they're keeping my garden going. Given that drought and heat are likely to arrive more often, I'll be planting more of the following drought-busters. Eryngiums, or sea hollies The sea hollies have been my star performers and Eryngium x zabelii 'Big Blue' is the best of the lot. The blue-rinsed sea-green elongated thimbles are supported by a ring of feathery bracts in aquamarine and the stiff stems have a steely sheen, so this is an architectural plant with presence. The supporting foliage is jagged and marbled. One plant has produced a hundred or so stems, each topped with a splayed arrangement containing three to five pollinator-friendly flowers. With no rain, the bracts and flowers have kept their metallic sparkle and I've watched several butterflies, including a marbled white, gathering nectar. Hundreds of bumblebees have been drooling over them too. 'Big Blue' is a micro-propagated hybrid, so seedlings don't come true to type. Here, it domineers a pallid-yellow anthemis, 'Sauce Hollandaise', and that's also enjoying the heat. Eryngium bourgatii is self-seedling in nooks and crannies nearby and this one has silvered evergreen foliage. Hylotelephiums, or sedums Sedums have succulent leaves that store water, so once established, they perform brilliantly in dry summers. The darker the foliage, the better for me, because they light up silvery planting. 'José Aubergine', named after Flemish nurseryman José De Buck, smoulders from the off. The aubergine-black foliage and upright stems are topped with domed heads of red-pink flowers that fade to chocolate-brown as autumn descends. I also rate Ernst Pagels's 'Karfunkelstein', which is more smoky rhubarb, and the stately 'Matrona'. The latter produces pigeon-breast foliage that shimmers between pink and grey. None flag, however hot the weather. Hemerocallis, or daylilies These have Asian heritage and they love the warmth and heat, even when it's humid. They are mega-hardy too, so they are grown all over the world. Admittedly, they sometimes sulk in dull summers in my high-altitude garden, but this year they've been worth their weight in gold. There are thousands on offer, but I am going to extol the virtues of two elegant British-bred daylilies from the 1960s, because I'm not keen on the thicker-petalled bicoloured American ones. The readily available lucid-yellow 'Whichford' has a cool hint of green in each flower. 'Red Precious' (sold by Norwell Nurseries) is a later tomato-red, a colour that flatters the mid-green strappy foliage. I like the oranges too: 'Flasher', 'Mauna Loa' and 'Primal Scream' are being framed by a pale-blue catmint and scabious, and they're all basking in the heat. You will need to remove the unsightly spent flowers, but the strappy foliage will march on. Mallows, including malvas and altheas Many years ago, staff at Cambridge's Botanic Garden did a bee count and discovered that Malva moschata was the number-one choice. Mine self-seeds (which I don't mind) and most have a cluster of silky white saucers, softened by a pink style, above highly divided green foliage that avoids transpiration. This is native to southern England, but it's also found in a wide area of Asia and Europe. I also grow the willowy light-pink Althaea armeniaca for its August flowers. Stipa gigantea – the golden oat grass One of the very few tall grasses to perform early in the year, this is indispensable in sunny borders because it produces a multitude of upright stems topped with shimmering golden heads. It loves the heat and I've found it long-lived. Here, it rises to 5ft or more, hovering above an excellent rose for poorer soil, 'Bonica', which was raised in southern France. My ramrod-straight spires of pink chicory (Cichorium intybus f. roseum), their neat daisies held on 45-degree-angled stems, are nearly as tall as the stipa this year. One note of caution though: stipas hate being divided or moved. Origanum, or marjoram Aromatic plants produce their own oily sunscreen and their flowers produce highly concentrated nectar, so they are all butterfly magnets. Origanum laevigatum 'Herrenhausen' has delicate heads of small pink flowers, held in almost purple calices, and they bob above a mat of dark-green foliage. Origanum laevigatum is native to Cyprus, Syria and Turkey, so it's more than capable of taking the heat. Thymes and all origanums are equally good at soaking up the sun in garden hotspots, without wilting. Penstemons These North American plants are bred from species used to being baked in the wild and they come into their own as the days shorten, because they're native to areas close to the equator, where days and nights are evenly balanced. The wine-red ' Andenken an Friedrich Hahn ' has slender trumpets and fine foliage and it's one of the hardiest and showiest, flowering right up until November if deadheaded. 'Sour Grapes', a dusky purple, is almost luminous in the evening light here. 'Blackbird' and 'Czar' are darker options. Go for fully grown plants at this time of year; try Hayloft ( Asters Italian asters, named forms of Aster amellus, have long-lashed petals, so they're perfect for the front of a sunny border. 'Veilchenkönigin', which translates as 'Violet Queen', is the darkest of all. 'King George' is a lighter violet-purple and both are really good AGM (RHS Award of Garden Merit) plants. The best drought-busting aster of all is a vigorous Swiss hybrid from the 1920s, named A x frikartii ' Mönch'. It swoons a little, reaching between 2ft and 3ft, and flowers for at least two months, and the foliage stays looking good too. Phlomis These Mediterranean plants have strong square-sided stems decorated with rounded whorls of lipped flowers. The flowers are adored by bumblebees and, after pollination, good seedheads endure until winter. Hibernating insects find the nooks and crannies very useful over winter. Phlomis italica, the pink-flowered Balearic Island sage, has risen to a metre here and formed a substantial bush of pale, woolly foliage in a sunny well-drained position. This one's fully evergreen, so it can look fabulous in winter light when the leaves appear quilted. The more stately Phlomis russeliana is a spreading herbaceous perennial, with stout stems containing five whorls of pallid-yellow flowers supported by mid-green foliage. This substantial phlomis, found naturally in Syria, Turkey and south-west Asia, needs a bit of space. Scabiosa – the small scabious One of my mainstays is the small scabious, Scabiosa columbaria, which is a chalk or lime grassland plant native to the UK, among other places. It's easily grown from seed and the standard form has pale-blue flowers. There is also a pallid-yellow subspecies named ochroleuca, and both bear small pincushions on very wiry stems, above finely cut foliage. This scabious is totally reliable, performing in good and poor summers. It's universally popular with butterflies and bees and mine forms a delicate edge in front of orange and orange-red hemerocallis and crocosmias. Deadheading will keep it going for weeks and I'd line every path with it if I could.
Scottish Sun
05-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Garden pro's £3 B&Q plant blooms now to the end of summer & self seeds for free flowers next year – the bees love it
BLOOMING MARVELLOUS Garden pro's £3 B&Q plant blooms now to the end of summer & self seeds for free flowers next year – the bees love it GARDENING and creating outside spaces with wildlife in mind is now essential going forward. And Rebecca Bevan, who works for the National Trust - has just written a book called Nature Friendly Gardening. 3 Rebecca Bevan and her dog Rusty - in a wildflower meadow 3 Nature Friendly Gardening by Rebecca Bevan (National Trust Books, £20) is out now 3 Foxgloves are native plants that grows well in gardens and seeds itself around. Credit: Getty She said: 'Even the smallest outside space contribute to a mosaic created by the gardens across the neighbourhood. "Your garden could be providing the overwintering spot for the newts that breed in your neighbours pond in Spring, while their tree is the nesting spot for the blue tits which clean your roses of aphids. 'Even if all you have is a patchy lawn, you may well be hosting a healthy population of soil-dwelling grubs, which in turn might be helping to support blackbirds or starlings. 'If it's lumpy with anthills, so much the better - ants make up the majority of the diet of the beautiful green woodpecker, which is resident in Britain all year round.' Her seven top tips for nature gardening are: PLANT A FLOWERING SHRUB OR TREE Even the tiniest tree will have more flowers on it than a whole border of small plants. It uses the empty vertical space in a garden and hopefully provides places for birds to perch or even nest. PLANT LESS POTS AND HANGING BASKETS Put more perennial plants directly into the ground. Plants growing in soil need no extra water, feed, pots or potting compost and will last for years. Rebecca's favourite Perennials include... Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) – A native plant that grows well in gardens and seeds itself around. Popular with bumblebees. B&Q is currently selling Mr Fothergill's Oh Sow Simple Foxy Mix Foxglove flower seeds. Marjoram – (Origanum vulgare) Loved by pollinating insects, tolerant of sun or shade and almost any soil and useful in salads and cooking. Lungwort – (Pulmonaria officinalis) Great in shade with attractive spotty foliage for many months and flowers in early spring which are great for bees. Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile) Very structural plant which flowers in late summer and has seed heads that last through winter. Sea holly (Eryngium) Great for a dry, sunny spot, these lovely spiky flowers attract many insects and their long-lasting seedheads are popular with birds. CHOOSE A FEW NATIVE WILDFLOWERS Hedgerow plants like cow parsley and red campion look great in gardens where you can admire them up close and they will attract native creatures. Kate steps out for 1st time since pulling out of Ascot to meet NHS staff & plants 'Catherine's Rose' in hospital garden DITCH THE WEEDKILLERS Especially on your lawn. Every weed is a wildflower which can help boost biodiversity. Clover and daisies in lawns can also keep them greener in dry weather. Less lovely weeds can be easily removed with a handfork or patio weeder for between paving slabs. MOW YOUR LAWN LESS OFTEN Once every 3 weeks will allow the grass to get lusher and some wildflowers to bloom. STOP TAKING WASTE TO THE TIP Stop taking your garden waste to the tip. Make a compost heap to recycle the nutrients and feed your soil or just make a pile for creatures to live in. LOOK AFTER YOUR SOIL It's a complex system of micro-organisms which recycle nutrients, help keep in air and water and feed plant roots. Too much digging or trampling can hurt it so keep it covered with perennial plants and stick to the paths. Also in Veronica's Column this week... Gardening news, top tips and win a Hydria Cascade water fountain NEWS! I was honoured to be a judge on the Robert Dyas Nominate Your Community Space competition - and the winner has been revealed. Volunteers from Day Drive Community Garden in Failsworth, Manchester plan to transform an unused garage site – to provide healthy food for those without easy access to it, offer workshops to empower individuals with new skills, and create a calming social hub in an otherwise urban environment. The retailer's nationwide competition encouraged people to nominate a green community space in their local area, which had the potential to be transformed for the mental and physical health of their community. The prize was £2.5k worth of gardening equipment and was part of Robert Dyas' ongoing Plant & Pause campaign, now in its third year, which encourages the nation to garden their way to better mental health. NEWS! A new YouGov survey, commissioned by Stiga - has shown that more and more people across the UK are embracing gardening - recognising that it's a fulfilling hobby that nurtures both nature and wellbeing. The survey found that 52 per cent of female respondents enjoy interacting with wildlife such as birds and butterflies, compared to 39 per cent of men. Whilst 29 per cent of men enjoy mowing the lawn versus 17 per cent of women. And although all ages enjoy gardening - it's the over 55s who claim to get the most out of it. WIN! Two Sun Gardening readers can get their hands on a stunning Hydria Cascade water fountain. To enter visit or write to Cascade Competition, PO Box 3190, Colchester, Essex, CO2 8GP. Include your name, age, email or phone. UK residents 18+ only. Entries close 11.59pm. July 19, 2025. T&Cs apply JOB OF THE WEEK It's all about deadheading this week - to ensure future on tying in climbing plants. Train cucumber plants upwards and pick courgettes before they get too big and turn into marrows. For more gardening tips and news follow me @biros_and_bloom
The Irish Sun
05-07-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Garden pro's £3 B&Q plant blooms now to the end of summer & self seeds for free flowers next year – the bees love it
GARDENING and creating outside spaces with wildlife in mind is now essential going forward. And Rebecca Bevan, who works for the National Trust - has just written a book called 3 Rebecca Bevan and her dog Rusty - in a wildflower meadow 3 Nature Friendly Gardening by Rebecca Bevan (National Trust Books, £20) is out now 3 Foxgloves are native plants that grows well in gardens and seeds itself around. Credit: Getty She said: 'Even the smallest outside space contribute to a mosaic created by the gardens across the neighbourhood. "Your 'Even if all you have is a 'If it's lumpy with anthills, so much the better - ants make up the majority of the diet of the beautiful green woodpecker, which is resident in Britain all year round.' Read More Gardening Her seven top tips for nature gardening are: PLANT A FLOWERING SHRUB OR TREE Even the tiniest PLANT LESS POTS AND HANGING BASKETS Put more perennial plants directly into the ground. Plants growing in soil need no extra water, feed, pots or potting compost and will last for years. Rebecca's favourite Perennials include... Most read in Fabulous Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) – A native plant that grows well in gardens and seeds itself around. Popular with bumblebees. Marjoram – (Origanum vulgare) Loved by pollinating insects, tolerant of sun or shade and almost any soil and useful in salads and cooking. Lungwort – (Pulmonaria officinalis) Great in shade with attractive spotty foliage for many months and flowers in early spring which are great for bees. Sedum (Hylotelephium spectabile) Very structural plant which flowers in late summer and has seed heads that last through winter. Sea holly (Eryngium) Great for a dry, sunny spot, these lovely spiky flowers attract many insects and their long-lasting seedheads are popular with birds. CHOOSE A FEW NATIVE WILDFLOWERS Hedgerow plants like cow parsley and red campion look great in gardens where you can admire them up close and they will attract native creatures. Kate steps out for 1st time since pulling out of Ascot to meet NHS staff & plants 'Catherine's Rose' in hospital garden DITCH THE WEEDKILLERS Especially on your MOW YOUR LAWN LESS OFTEN Once every 3 weeks will allow the grass to get lusher and some wildflowers to bloom. STOP TAKING WASTE TO THE TIP Stop taking your garden waste to the tip. Make a compost heap to recycle the nutrients and feed your soil or just make a pile for creatures to live in. LOOK AFTER YOUR SOIL It's a complex system of micro-organisms which recycle nutrients, help keep in air and water and feed plant roots. Too much digging or trampling can hurt it so keep it covered with perennial plants and stick to the paths. Also in Veronica's Column this week... Gardening news, top tips and win a Hydria Cascade water fountain NEWS! I was honoured to be a judge on the Volunteers from Day Drive Community Garden in Failsworth, Manchester plan to transform an unused garage site – to provide healthy food for those without easy access to it, offer workshops to empower individuals with new skills, and create a calming social hub in an otherwise urban environment. The retailer's nationwide competition encouraged people to nominate a green community space in their local area, which had the potential to be transformed for the mental and physical health of their community. The prize was £2.5k worth of gardening equipment and was part of Robert Dyas' ongoing Plant & Pause campaign, now in its third year, which encourages the nation to garden their way to better mental health. NEWS! A new YouGov survey, commissioned by The survey found that 52 per cent of female respondents enjoy interacting with wildlife such as birds and butterflies, compared to 39 per cent of men. Whilst 29 per cent of men enjoy mowing the lawn versus 17 per cent of women. And although all ages enjoy gardening - it's the over 55s who claim to get the most out of it. WIN! Two Sun Gardening readers can get their hands on a stunning JOB OF THE WEEK It's all about deadheading this week - to ensure future on tying in climbing plants. Train cucumber plants upwards and pick courgettes before they get too big and turn into marrows. For more gardening tips and news follow me
