8 star plants of RHS Sandringham 2026
Discover plants that stood out at the first ever RHS Sandringham Flower Show, and inspiring floral ideas to take home
14 drought-tolerant plants for pots to reduce watering
Want pots that look great all summer without watering all the time? Inspired by RHS Sandringham Flower Show, here are 14 container-friendly perennial plants that can beat the heat
Watering thirsty pots multiple times a week is not only time-consuming; it’s also unsustainable – especially if your stored rainwater has run dry, and you’re having to scrabble around for household greywater or even resort to precious tap water.
Plants in containers will fundamentally need watering more often than the same plants in the ground, but with these designer-approved, low-maintenance plants for pots, you can keep your garden full of colour all summer long while minimising your mileage with the watering can.
Top tip
Don’t forget to put saucers under your pots, and try to only water when plants start to show signs of stress, for example wilting or leaf curling. The more you ‘train’ your plants to cope with little water, the more resilient they will be.
Water in the early morning or late evening and direct water at the soil at the base of the plant, avoiding the leaves.
More tips to get the most from watering less >
Given these plants all enjoy similar conditions, you can mix and match to create your own container combinations, or pair them with other plants that also enjoy sunny, free-draining or dry conditions. All, of course, would also work in beds and borders for a drought-tolerant planting scheme.
Have your say: how have your plants responded to the heatwaves?
Tell us what struggled, thrived or surprised you during this summer’s record-breaking heatwaves to help increase our understanding of plant resilience, improve our gardening advice and support future research
8 plants for beautiful blooms
Agapanthus
Agapanthus ‘Sandringham’ on the RHS Royal Legacy Garden
- Looks good with: Stipa tenuissima,Oenothera lindheimeri
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: July–August
- Hardiness: herbaceous forms are generally hardy; evergreen forms can be tender
Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’
Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’ on The RHS Pollywiggle Garden
- Looks good with: Verbena ‘Bampton’, Stipa tenuissima, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Oenothera lindheimeri – white gaura
Oenothera lindheimeri on the Butterfly Sanctuary Garden
- Looks good with: agapanthus, Verbena ‘Bampton’, Stipa tenuissima
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’ – vervain
Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’ on The Goldcrest Garden: Restoring Habitat, Repairing Climate
- Looks good with: Stipa tenuissima, Oenothera lindheimeri, Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Erigeron karvinskianus – Mexican fleabane
- Looks good with: almost anything where it can froth underneath other plants and spill over the edge of the pot
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–August
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Tradescantia ‘JS Brainstorm’ – spider lily
Tradescantia ‘JS Brainstorm’ on The RHS Royal Legacy Garden
- Looks good with: Agapanthus, Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’, Stipa tenuissima, Euphorbia myrsinites
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: moist but well-drained – strong resilience to both wet and dry conditions
- Flowering period: June–September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’ – sea holly
Eryngium planum ‘Blue Hobbit’ in the Gardens on the Edge long border
- Looks good with: Agapanthus, Oenothera lindheimeri, Tradescantia ‘JS Brainstorm’, Verbena Bampton, Stipa tenuissima,Festuca glauca, Euphorbia myrsinites
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: June–September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’ – tickseed
- Looks good with: Hylotelephium ‘José Aubergine’, Festuca glauca
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: July–September
- Hardiness: fully hardy
6 plants for fabulous foliage
Hylotelephium ‘José Aubergine’ – sedum
Hylotelephium ‘José Aubergine’ with Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’ on The RHS Royal Legacy Garden
- Looks good with: Verbena officinalis ‘Bampton’, Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’, Coreopsis verticillata ‘Moonbeam’, Festuca glauca, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: August–October
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Find out more
Buy Hylotelephium
Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ – wormwood
Artemisia ‘Powys Castle’ on the Tough as Old Boots Garden
- Looks good with: Oenothera lindheimeri, Salvia ‘Nachtvlinder’,Erigeron karvinskianus, Festuca glauca, Euphorbia myrsinites
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: August, but it’s all about the foliage!
- Hardiness: tender (hardy in coastal and relatively mild areas of the UK – -5 to 1C)
Euphorbia myrsinites – broad-leaved glaucous spurge
Euphorbia myrsinites with Nepeta on The Goldcrest Garden: Restoring Habitat, Repairing Climate
- Looks good with: Erigeron karvinskianus, Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’, Stipa tenuissima, other
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: April–July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Sempervivum – houseleeks
- Looks good with: Euphorbia myrsinites, Erigeron karvinskianus, Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’, other succulents
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained
- Flowering period: summer after 2–3 years
- Hardiness: fully hardy – one of very few hardy succulents!
Festuca glauca – blue fescue
Festuca glauca with Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’ and Erigeron karvinskianus on the Tough as Old Boots Garden
- Looks good with: Erigeron,Eryngium ‘Blue Hobbit’, Artemisia ‘Powis Castle’, karvinskianus, Coreopsis ‘Moonbeam’, Achillea ‘Moonshine’
- Position: full sun
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–July
- Hardiness: fully hardy
Stipa tenuissima – Mexican feather grass
Stipa tenuissima with Verbena ‘Bampton’ and Achillea on The Goldcrest Garden: Restoring Habitat, Repairing Climate
- Looks good with: pretty much anything, to give an instant textural lift
- Position: full sun or partial shade
- Soil: well-drained or moist but well-drained
- Flowering period: June–October
- Hardiness: hardy throughout most of the UK
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About the author – Olivia Drake
With a background in biology, Olivia is passionate about sustainable horticulture, biodiversity and the role gardening can play in conservation. She is trained as a botanical horticulturist and previously worked in public gardens around the UK and abroad.
