Plants for drought-prone gardens: pink and white
Plenty of plants thrive in drought-prone areas, so it’s possible to create a full and attractive border even in these sometimes challenging conditions
Quick facts
- Drought conditions can mean plants struggle to take up moisture
- Droughts are more likely to occur with climate change
- Plants that have adapted to dry conditions (such as with silver or hairy leaves) can thrive in these sites
- Newly planted plants are particularly vulnerable to drought
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The planting plan
This planting design provides a range of plants in a pink and white theme that, once established, will thrive in an environment that can be low in soil moisture, while still providing a variety of interest throughout the year.
Drought-tolerant plants with pink and white flowers
Choosing plants for a drought-prone garden
The leathery leaves of the Viburnum, Olearia and Ozothamnus resist drying out well. The fleshy leaves of the Hylotelephium allow the plant to store moisture to help it cope with periods of drought.
The carpeting Nepeta and Hylotelephium will help protect the soil surface from erosion and reduce moisture loss from bare soil. The groundcover plants will also make it harder for unwanted plants to seed into bare patches of soil.
Additional organic mulching, preferably with homemade compost, can improve soil moisture retention and weed suppression. Mulches should be spread when the soil is already moist, to help trap some of that moisture before it dries out in summer.
A simple planting plan helps to create depth, interest and good coverage in a border.
1 - Abelia x grandiflora
2 - Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee’
3 - Olearia macrodonta
4 - Stipa gigantea
5 - Viburnum tinus ‘Gwenllian’
6 - Cistus x purpureus
7 - Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Brilliant’
2 - Ozothamnus rosmarinifolius ‘Silver Jubilee’ is an evergreen shrub with rosemary-like, silver-grey leaves and compact clusters of scented white flowerheads opening from red buds in summer.
3 - Olearia macrodonta is an evergreen shrub with toothed, grey-green leaves that are white-felted underneath. Large clusters of small, daisy-like, fragrant white flowers are borne in summer.
4 - Stipa gigantea is a tufted evergreen grass with arching leaves and tall sprays of oat-like, dusky purple flowers that ripen to gold from late summer into autumn.
5 - Viburnum tinus ‘Gwenllian’ is a bushy evergreen shrub with dark green leaves and compact clusters of starry white flowers that open in late winter from red-pink buds, followed by metallic-blue berries.
6 - Cistus x purpureus is an evergreen shrub with narrow green leaves. Its pretty summer flowers are rose-pink with deep red blotches at the base of each petal, surrounding bright golden yellow stamens at the centre.
7 - Hylotelephium spectabile ‘Brilliant’ is a herbaceous perennial with succulent, grey-green leaves on thick stems. Flattened heads of small, star-shaped pink flowers, which are loved by pollinators, are borne from late summer into autumn.
About drought-prone areas
By choosing plants that have adapted to be drought-resistant, you can keep your border looking good and growing well. However, your plants will still need watering for the first year, until they establish and grow new roots down into deep, reliably damp earth. These plants are drought-tolerant, so they will survive periods of drought, but not for an extended time.
Why choose a sustainable planting combination?
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