Hot dry sunny border: plant combinations that defy heat and drought

The hottest spot in the garden

Every garden has that one place where the sun beats down relentlessly. Against a south-facing wall, on a driveway, along a terrace. Many plants give up there. But there is a world of plants that actually thrive in that spot — plants from steppes, prairies and Mediterranean garrigue.

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Combination 1: Prairie abundance

Echinacea purpurea 'Magnus' (coneflower, 80 cm, pink-purple) with Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage, 100 cm, lavender-blue spikes) and Panicum virgatum 'Heavy Metal' (switchgrass, 120 cm, steel-blue blades).

Three plants that together form a prairie. They flower from July to October and dry decoratively through winter. Scatter Verbena bonariensis (tall verbena, 150 cm, purple) between them as a transparent veil.

Combination 2: Silver and gold

Stachys byzantina 'Silver Carpet' (lamb's ear, 15 cm, silver woolly foliage), Achillea 'Moonshine' (yarrow, 60 cm, lemon yellow) and Euphorbia characias subsp. wulfenii (spurge, 100 cm, yellow-green).

A combination that provides structure from March and explodes into yellow in summer. The silver foliage of lamb's ear reflects light and keeps the border cool and calm.

Combination 3: Gravel garden style

Eryngium x zabelii 'Big Blue' (sea holly, 70 cm, steel-blue cones), Allium sphaerocephalon (drumstick allium, 60 cm, purple-red bobbles) and Festuca glauca 'Elijah Blue' (blue fescue, 25 cm).

Plant in a bed of fine gravel. The plants stand like sculptures in the landscape. Less is more: leave space between groups. Sea holly attracts butterflies and dries beautifully.

Combination 4: Autumn splendour

Sedum spectabile 'Herbstfreude' (ice plant, 50 cm, pink ageing to copper-brown), Aster ericoides 'Pink Cloud' (heath aster, 80 cm, clouds of pink flowers) and Anemanthele lessoniana (pheasant's tail grass, 60 cm, orange-brown in autumn).

This combination peaks from September to November, when most borders are already fading. The ice plant is also one of the best bee plants in existence.

Soil preparation

Does your soil drain poorly? Work coarse sand and gravel into the top layer. These plants do not want wet feet. A 5 cm gravel mulch keeps crowns dry, suppresses weeds and warms the soil.

Do not fertilise, or barely. Mediterranean and steppe plants flower better in poor soil. Too much feed produces lanky plants that flop over.

Your dry border

Drought is not an enemy, it is an opportunity. Discover at gardenworld.app how a drought-resistant border could turn your warmest spot into a showpiece.