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What has survived in your garden with minimal or no watering?

(12 Posts)
MaizieD Thu 30-Jul-26 10:57:52

I had a prowl round my garden this morning. I have done very little watering over the past few weeks, apart from concentrating on a very few newly planted items.

All the shrubs in soil are absolutely fine, buddleia, roses, box, lavender, rosemary, lonicera and cornus.

Herbaceous plants which are thriving are peony, sedum spectabile, verbena bonariensis, lychnis, geraniums, hollyhocks, stachys (lambs ears) thymes. crocosmia and the dreaded japanese anemones (wish I could kill them grin) there are a few more but I won't bore you with a massive list.

Dead and dying? Alstroemeria and aquilegia. I'm quite happy about these as the alstroemeria spreads too much and is hard to dig out and the aquilegia are rampant self seeders.

If we're going to have these (long predicted) hot and dry summers, along with hosepipe bans, more in the future it's good to know what is worth planting and what to avoid.

I do have plants in pots which I have watered because they've no chance of sending their roots to seek out deeper moist soil so I obviously haven't included them

MaizieD Thu 30-Jul-26 11:08:39

Oh, I forgot to add weeds! Why don't weeds need water? 😕

JenniRen Thu 30-Jul-26 11:15:35

Doing well are herbs, in the ground where they were planted and self-set in the lawn. The dry, baked grass is sprinkled with oregano, marjoram and some pretty weeds.
Penstemons, red hot pokers seem ok as do shrubs with deep roots although one or two have died.

The peonies look brown, the perennial geraniums brown and crispy, the heucheras are looking sad as are many herbaceous plants. The cotoneaster isn't looking good.

We've concentrated on watering pots, clematis and runner beans.
The Japanese anemones are in a large tub. They bounced back after looking dried up.

JenniRen Thu 30-Jul-26 11:17:40

The lavender is fine! Covered in bees.

J52 Thu 30-Jul-26 11:27:25

Achillea are doing well, I’m going to plant different varieties next year. Most daisy type flowers seem to be surviving.

henetha Thu 30-Jul-26 11:33:43

The weeds. And some geraniums.

twiglet77 Thu 30-Jul-26 11:55:46

My bindweed is delighted the grass isn’t growing and it has romped across the entire lawn.

Oldnproud Thu 30-Jul-26 11:57:24

Most of my shrubs are all looking OK ,except for the dogwood, which is looking quite sorry for itself.
The pyracantha hasn't had any water, but still looks OK, and so far is holding on to its potential berries.

My sedum is getting a splash of washing-up water occasionally, as it was wilting.

The hydrangea needs and is getting a regular watering with any reusable water from the household chores, and a few other things are getting an occasional watering with similar water

My shrub roses are ok-ish, but very short on flowers now, whereas they usually repeat bloom all summer and into autumn.

Without water, my annuals have all gone over very quickly

But biggest disaster this year for me is my veg patch. But it isn't down to lack of water (they are watered daily) so much as a combination of factors that have led to an absolute invasion of flea beetles this year.
The cabbages and Brussels sprouts have been under nets since I planted them out months ago, but this year that hasn't helped at all - the cabbages succumbed to the infestation a couple of weeks ago, and it now suddenly looks like the sprouts might be heading the same way.
The flea beetles are absolutely everywhere - Ive not seen anything like it for about 25 years.

HelterSkelter1 Thu 30-Jul-26 12:09:12

I shall write down the names of all the suggested hot weather survivors.

My garden looks very sad. It reminds me of the film Jean de Florette and Gerard Depardieu's vain attempts to water his plants. Although of course that was 100 times worse.

MaizieD Thu 30-Jul-26 12:19:06

Sorry, it wasn't alstroemeria (I can never get it to survive, even in a 'normal' summer!) it was astrantia that has completely withered away.

Interesting how different plants have reacted.

My main garden faces SW, but the back of the house faces NE, Ferns which have wilted in the front are doing really well in the back. Position must help, too.

Jaxjacky Thu 30-Jul-26 12:31:59

It would be useful if you said where you are?
South Hampshire heading for 40 days with no rain and hosepipe ban.
Crocosmia, day lilies, buddleia, asters, echinacea, gladioli all look dead, but may come back next year.
Passion flower, jasminoides tracheloermum and verbena fine, along with some grasses.
Roses and peonies still green, flowered ages ago.
Bay in a tub looks ill, herbs in a tub all died.
I would usually have lots of sunflowers and cosmos, because of my hip none sown this year.

MartavTaurus Thu 30-Jul-26 12:37:45

Mine is a coastal garden, Devon, so I have been quite fortunate with lavender, agapanthus, roses, red hot pokers, verbena etc.

My pots however have all succumbed, but I have neglected them a bit.