Hot weather with limited rainfall can cause problems in the garden for a number of reasons. From dry brown lawns to hose pipe bans, we’re reminded how important water really is in the garden and we can often feel lost without it. Despite limited rain and the need to reduce water use, there’s a number of things you can do to deal with droughts outside.

Drought friendly plants

Drought tolerance can vary greatly between plants. Some are much more tolerant than others, which you should consider if your garden gets a lot of direct sun. When it comes to watering with your watering can, prioritise those that are showing signs of distress first and those that are less established. When in a drought, plants produce less nectar than usual so keeping your plants watered (without breaking any hosepipe bans) is very much in the  pollinators’ interest too.

You should also add mulch around your plants where possible to keep the moisture locked into the soil as much as possible, this will enable your plants to stay hydrated for longer.

Our recommended drought friendly plants:

• Echinacea – Otherwise known as the Coneflower, Echinacea will amaze you (and your garden’s pollinators) with their brightly coloured flowers every summer. 

• Nepeta – Otherwise known as Catnip, Nepeta are pretty perennials that generally produce lavender blue flowers.

• Salvia – Part of the sage family, Salvia’s appear as tall stems with densely-packed clusters of flowers. They’re most commonly found in purple.

• Lavender – Known for their calming scent, Lavender is a perennial with bright purple flowers.

• Verbena – Bring summer colour to your borders with delicate purple flowers on tall elegant stems.

• Eryngium – Also called ‘Sea Holly’, these compact perennials are wonderful for adding intricacy to your garden with their thistle-like flowers.

• Sedum – Sedums are succulents with fleshy leaves and flat flowers that are adored pollinators.

Let your lawn go brown

It’s always difficult to see your lawn go brown during a drought but in most cases, it will recover with the right care. While your lawn can be a big part of the garden, you’ll need to prioritise your limited water use and watering the lawn shouldn’t be top of the list. Favour watering pollinator friendly plants first and plants showing signs of distress over a lawn that will recover and is likely to get struck by drought again when another heatwave hits. Learn how to recover your lawn and discover our tips on managing a drought struck lawn. 

Recycling water and supporting local wildlife

During a drought, it’s a good idea to recycle your water as much as possible. Collecting rainwater when it’s available is a great way to plan ahead for moments when heatwaves hit and you need to conserve water. Attach a water butt below the rainwater downpipe on your house or garden shed and you’ll be water collecting in no time! If you wanted to, you can even recycle your bath or washing up water to water your plants – so long as you’ve not used too much soap or cleaning products that could potentially harm wildlife.

The same can be said for your garden water feature, using recycled water will limit your use of external water sources and therefore use of your fountain shouldn’t need to be prohibited during a hosepipe ban. You can go one step further by opting for a solar water feature. Solar water features are powered by using the energy from the sun’s rays, making them an even more eco-friendly option.

During droughts, wildlife really need our help and bird baths are a great way to support your garden friends. Not only do garden birds benefit from drinking the water in your bird bath, it’s also important that they have somewhere to bathe to clean themselves and cool down in hot temperatures. Ensure your bird bath is topped up by adding water when necessary with your watering can.