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

My Wisteria is going ballistic and has spread to a neighbours tree diagonally across the back gardens to me! they don't seem to mind as they have never tried to cut it back

I'm south of Edinburgh. We had some rain but I haven't watered except for pots and my greenhouse.

Roses and sweet peas flowered earlier than usual. Hollyhocks are fine as are rosemary and lavender. Pinks and sweet William are not as vigorous as usual. Nigella and scabious are tiny. Honeysuckle is not as lush as usual.

Ferns are fine as are the weeds. Evening primrose and mallow are tall.
Some shrubs have died but perhaps they were sickly. I've lost a buddleia and a potentilla.
There's not a single pear on either tree but apples and plums are fine.

Next door's wisteria is also going mad. Very green and lush and from 2 tiny tendrils peeping and waving over our wall in April it now has smothered the entire wall and has long tendrils waving on top of thick green growth. The rest of my garden is a yellow desert.
Its roots must be deep into the shade of their garden and maybe well watered, but the hot relentless sunshine hasn't dried it at all. Everything not actually in watered pots on my side is shrivelled.

So wisteria is a survivor.

My salvia Nachtvlinder is doing good, I've got her in pots as well as a couple in the ground and they're all flying. I love that plant

I’m glad you started this thread as I suspect many of us will have to rethink our planting schemes. I’m on London clay. Have probably lost a sambucas niger, buddleias and hydrangeas suffering, but the pleasant surprises have come from dianthus and fuschias. I’ve been contemplating planting some purple lantana to fill gaps for next year as they’re Mediterranean but oh boy - they’re not cheap!

Azalea99 I agree. Come autumn I shall re read this thread and have a plan for the future. I would love to have a gravel garden, but with 2 large horsechestnuts it would be impossible to sweep up the tons of conkers and leaves.

All mine a doing well but I water every day ( or family or neighbours do) ...no hosepipe bans here in NW and unlikely ....if there were I would ask for an exemption

In my part of Surrey this is the 46th day with no rain.
My grass is yellow/brown and 'crunchy' underfoot.

The first flush of roses was glorious but since then buds have been scorched, turned brown and therefore not flowered.
Everything in the garden is struggling and I have a hosepipe ban so can't help.

According to the BBC weather forecast no rain is expected in the next two weeks.
My garden normally gives me a great deal of pleasure but this year I just don't even like to look at it!

Dandelions !!

Thriving: privet, thrift, hollyhocks, roses, verbena bonariensis, border daisies

Struggling: heuchera, sedums, clematis, hydrangea, michaelmas daisies

Ok: ferns, griselinia hedge, conifers, bush tomatoes, apple and pear trees

Dead: new hydrangeas, new lavender [despite watering

Locally the bindweed, brambles and nettles are going mad.
South West, clay soil.

Weeds, Thistles and Rats …Rats because of some thicko neighbour leaves scrap food and rabbit food lying about
5ft high Thistles whole field covered, because farmer can’t be bothered to maintain… all seed blowing over and hundreds starting to grow without a drop of water..
Joy of the country, I think not, sooner I can get back to a town sit in my garden & normal life the better ….

Blue14 I am in N Surrey and my garden is the same. It is sad as like you it normally gives me pleasure. Not this year. Pots I am watering in the evening and they are surviving.

So I top up the bird bath but thats all I do in the actual garden.

My hydrangea is dead I am only using water from household chores on my blueberries, I bought them from Asda this year and they are doing really well in pots.

blue14

In my part of Surrey this is the 46th day with no rain.
My grass is yellow/brown and 'crunchy' underfoot.

The first flush of roses was glorious but since then buds have been scorched, turned brown and therefore not flowered.
Everything in the garden is struggling and I have a hosepipe ban so can't help.

According to the BBC weather forecast no rain is expected in the next two weeks.
My garden normally gives me a great deal of pleasure but this year I just don't even like to look at it!

Snap!!
Here in London there has been no rain for ages and we are in drought with no rain forecast for weeks ahead.
Am wondering, if these hot dry summers continue, we won’t just change the plants we buy but when purchasing a property will no longer be looking for a garden that is a sun trap but looking for a garden with shade.

Yes Helterskelter and Fallingstar - I think ours is the area suffering the most from the lack of rain.
Also the Southeast in general seems to be the hottest part of the country.
Many people will be reviewing and thinking very carefully about they plant in the future.

The roses have done brilliantly. Sedums, yes, Rosemary, yes, they both love it. Trees...Prunus (flowering Cherries), Malus (Crab Apples) and Field Maple seem very happy. Birch trees suffering and Yew are also needing grey water. Buddleia davidii, butterfly bush, are loving the heat, and the butterflies are enjoying their nectar. The wildflower meadow is thriving. Native hedges all fine, blackberries love the heat.

S W Wales. We have rain. The bouncy off the car stuff. Hopefully the garden will revive now.

Perennial geraniums - that's all

Co. Durham. We have rain, too, today. Nice steady soaking rain.

Like others, I'm certainly noting what has done well and I'm thinking about next year.

We have been warned for a few years about the effects of global warming but I think it's really striking home now.

Im green with envy for the rain.

Actually I’m not I’m a rather nasty yellow with dead brown patches 🙁

Ps. I forgot thc following, all growing like wildfire. Hedera helix "Caneriensis" is doing really well. Great climber. (Thinks it's in the Canaries!) All Jasmine officinalis doing well. Hibiscus...any South African plants, like Agapanthas..Also, try Alliums.

We had rain but not really enough to give a good soaking.

The perennial geranium which had shrivelled and which I chopped back is sprouting some green.

Erigeron in cracks in my crazy paving patio are lovely and don’t seem to need watering. I just let them seed everywhere. Geraniums and begonias are looking good with minimal water. Lewesias are lovely too. Next year I won’t bother planting nasturtiums lasted no time til went to seed or dianthus.

Hollyhocks are flourishing in this heatwave and need no watering. North Norfolk is awash with them and they look beautiful. Over here they grow in poor soil, between cobbles and at the base of walls.

Roses have been fabulous, and hydrangeas have done better than usual.
Erigeron has been great too and I hope it does seed itself , but the total star is an echinacea planted last autumn. It's a solid , never ending mass of blooms.