How would it be to enjoy a beautiful, flower-filled garden without having to constantly worry about watering it? In times of climate change with hot, dry summers, this is certainly an important thought.
Photo: Syl Gervais
When I am asked whether I go through the beds every day in summer with a watering can or hose, I answer with a simple and honest "no".
I only water pots. The plants in the bed usually have to take care of themselves, and many of them can do that without any problems. This is partly because I made sure that the plants I chose were varieties that could cope with drier periods and that I trained them to form long and deep roots (you can read how to do this with other valuable tips below).
Here you get an overview of 22 plants that I have in my garden and that cope very well with drought. And ALL of them are wonderful plants for insects.
1. ROSES
Photo: Syl Gervais
No cottage garden is complete without roses. That's why I'm so happy that roses have deep roots and can easily take care of themselves. The bigger the rose, the longer and deeper its roots go.
This can easily be several meters.
One more reason to get rambling roses! I've never had to water mine.
Insect happiness: unfilled flowers, yeeeeees!
2. LAVENDER
A frequently chosen planting partner for roses. However, lavender is not the ideal bed partner for roses. Roses need a lot of nutrients, and lavender prefers poor soil. It is better to use catnip or ornamental sage, which I will mention below. But otherwise lavender is wonderful and can withstand the heat very well.
Insect happiness: great!
3. WOLLZIEST (Stachys byzantina)
So cuddly, so soft (which is why it is also called rabbit's ear or donkey's ear) and incredibly decorative. I love woolly yarrow. Whether as a border, ground cover or in combination with ornamental sage, catnip and delicate roses like "Fairy" or "Ballerina".
Its flowers are not the real reason to have it in your garden, but its leaves (which stay on in winter!) are. And it is incredibly undemanding.
Insect happiness: and how!
4. HERBS (Eryngium)
Another great candidate. Its entire appearance in bluish-green tones is enchanting. It too (it is called THE "sea thrush"!) goes great with woolly yarrow or classic sage. Its spherical, spiky flower heads last a very long time and are ideal for dried arrangements and wreaths. In general, all members of the (noble) thistle family can withstand heat and dryness well.
Insect happiness: awesome!
Eryngium magical
Photo: Janina Laszlo
5. STEPPE SAGE (Salvia nemorosa)
Photo: Syl Gervais
Big sage love in the cottage garden.
And why?
Because it is incredibly beautiful.
Because it blooms for a long time.
Because it blooms again after pruning.
Because it goes with basically EVERYTHING.
Because it comes in white, pink, blue and purple.
Because that alone offers the most beautiful combination possibilities.
Because it is completely undemanding (you can see that I'm getting into the swing of things...)
Because it is pure insect happiness.
6. PURPLE CONSEQUEN (Echinacea purpurea)
Unfortunately, the coneflower always disappears pretty quickly in my garden (and I haven't been able to figure out why, as it is actually quite undemanding and hardy), but I still like to plant it because it fits beautifully in the cottage garden. And it's best not to plant it as a single perennial, but rather planted in lush groups. Enchanting with Verbena bonariensi, underplanted with Spanish daisies and yarrow, all four delight us with an unusually long flowering period. It also comes in white: Echinacea purpurea "Alba".
Insect happiness: YES YES YES!
7. MULLEIN (Verbascum)
I don't have the classic variety (yellow) and I won't have it in my garden (how mean am I?!). Thank goodness there are still such wonderful non-yellow varieties like the purple Verbascum nigrum, which is also available in white as "Alba". I also love "Sugar Plum" and "Pink Domino". This ancient medicinal plant can reach an impressive height of up to one and a half meters.
Insect happiness: 100%
8. Buddleia
I always like it. The Buddleia blooms for an incredibly long time in pink, purple and white, smells irresistibly good and attracts lots of butterflies to the garden. Whether as a solitary plant, as a background or in a smaller version planted in the middle of the bed, I find this plant quite extraordinary.
Insect happiness: Full marks for butterflies and hummingbird hawk moths.
9. CATNIP (Nepeta)
Little effort - big impact. You can't go wrong with this blue-violet flowering perennial. As a ground cover or companion plant, it delights people and bumblebees (and cats, actually) all summer long with its lush blooms and spicy scent, and is undemanding. It likes full sun best, and a little water now and again is enough.
The flowering period is from May to August.
Insect happiness: great!
10. SEA LILAC (Limonium)
A truly uncomplicated and undemanding dry hero. The sea lavender blooms undaunted from June until the first frost in a variety of colors from white to dark purple. Ideal for dried bouquets, it is shunned by snails. Sea lavender, also called statice, thrives just as well in pots.
Insect happiness: and how!
Photo: Janina Laszlo
11. YARROW (Achillea)
The hardy one. A magical and equally robust companion plant with fragrant leaves and a very long flowering period from June to October. This native wildflower tolerates dry and hot periods without complaining, is very popular with insects, especially butterflies, and is also well known to us as a medicinal plant. Yarrow is a perfect planting partner because it goes with everything. It is funny to observe the difference in size depending on the location: normally only around 30 - 50 cm high, in nutrient-rich soil it can easily reach 80 cm to a meter. Keep this in mind when planning your flower bed!
Insect happiness: direct hit.
Photo: Janina Laszlo
12. WILD MALLOW (Malva sylvestris)
This wonderful creature with its dark pink flowers is, for me, the epitome of a summer flower. Not just for me - wild bees, bumblebees and butterflies love it too. The wild mallow is one of the native wild plants, it is just as happy in partial shade as in the sun, undemanding and easy to cultivate. This summer happiness reaches a height of around 120 cm, flowers, seeds and leaves also taste good in salads (or the flowers dried as tea!) and it is winter hardy.
Insect luck: You have three guesses!
Photo: Janina Laszlo
13. MAURANIAN MALLOW (Malva sylvestris ssp. mauritiana)
And if you want a little more oomph, then try the Mauritanian mallow!
Uncomplicated, flowery, amazing color. That's how you could sum it up.
Insect happiness: ABSOLUTELY!
14. BLUE RUBY (Perovskia)
Also blue and very enchanting. Uncomplicated and easy to care for, the blue rue is a wonderful plant that only needs a little protection in harsh winters. The magical flowers appear from the end of July. It also grows well in the rock garden. And you don't need to fertilize it either. A must-have, right?!
Insect happiness: absolute!
15. SEDUM
Not a crazy bird, but the all-rounder par excellence. It stores water in its fleshy leaves, which makes it resistant to dry periods. Its magnificent flower umbels are a highlight from the moment they bloom until they wilt, and provide food for many insects until October. It is also a beautiful sight in the winter garden.
Insect happiness: oh yes!
16. SAGE (Salvia)
Common sage loves dryness - just not waterlogging! Very undemanding and easy to care for, grateful for a relatively sheltered spot in the sun or partial shade. In midsummer, June to August, it adorns its velvety, fragrant, silvery-green foliage with violet-blue flower spikes. Of course, no kitchen should be without it, it can be dried very well and then enjoyed in winter (for sore throats) with a little honey as a tea.
And in this context: Do you know variegated sage? Another great candidate. And the best thing about it? The incredibly long flowering period....
Photo: Janina Laszlo
17. POPPY (Papaver)
You can sow poppies in late summer ( Cool Flower! ) for the following spring. Or even in early spring. Then you'll have these enchanting, silky flowers in beautiful colors in your bed in summer. My absolute favorite is Amazing Grey, whose flowers vary between blue-gray, purple and pink.
It is best to sow poppies directly as they do not like to be transplanted.
Insect happiness: Him too!
Photo: Janina Laszlo
18. BLUE RATTLE FLOWER
The classic summer flower conjures up images of a summer meadow swaying in the light breeze - perhaps because the rattle flower reminds me of the cornflower. The undemanding, blue-flowering beauty needs lots of sun and warmth, is not intimidated by drought and also looks great in a vase. The biennial perennial flowers from June to September, grows up to 60 cm tall and is also an absolute delight for insects.
19. CHAMOMILE
One of the oldest medicinal plants - the taste of chamomile tea is sure to be on everyone's tongue. This extremely adaptable plant copes well with all conditions, but does not like waterlogging. Insects love this native wild plant, it flowers from June to September and can be harvested when the flower heads have fully opened.
Insect happiness: yep!
Photo: Janina Laszlo
20. ROSE MALLOW (Malva alcea)
No garden should be without it - the rose mallow is a really undemanding creature. All it needs is a spot in the sun and dry, well-drained soil to delight us - and the bees - with its simple, delicate pink flowers from June to September. A native, endangered wild plant - by planting the rose mallow you are also helping to preserve biodiversity.
Insect happiness: of course!
Photo: Janina Laszlo
21. SPANISH DAISY (Erigeron karvinskianus)
Admittedly, I didn't come across the Spanish daisy until late. Somehow I always ignored it and didn't really think it was worth paying attention to. A big mistake. It blooms and blooms and blooms and blooms. For months. Non-stop. And it reproduces so wonderfully. In cracks, in walls, in beds, in pots. Light and delicate, like a breath, but then powerful and overflowing with flowers. Completely undemanding. As long as it doesn't get too cold, it is a hardy perennial and seeds itself well.
Insect happiness: it is!
22. ARGENTINE VERBENA (Verbena bonariensis)
Another highlight! I can't get enough of it in the garden. The verbena (Verbena bonariensis) winds its way delicately through roses and other perennials and blooms tirelessly. It multiplies on its own (it needs a bit of protection in harsh winters), but never becomes intrusive, looks beautiful in bouquets and the butterflies are completely thrilled.
Here are a few more tips for you on what else you can do:
The most important thing of all: train your plants. If you water them too often, they will become lazy and will mainly form superficial roots. It is better to water them infrequently, but then thoroughly. You can find more information on the topic of "watering correctly" HERE .
You can increase the storage capacity of your soil by working water-storing granules or special fleece into the soil (if you're interested, there will be a separate blog post about this soon). You will then only need half as much water. Also ideal for pots.
Good to know:
A general rule of thumb that is fairly safe to follow: plants that have fleshy, greasy, rough or hairy leaves are usually good candidates for dry locations.
Also important: If you like it dry, you generally need a location in full sun. And it doesn't tolerate waterlogging.
Avoid water guzzlers like hydrangeas (I do have some, but they are all in the shade and usually make it through the summer quite well) or phlox. And what needs a lot of water? Lawns, of course .
Very important: If you have just planted something, the plant will always need water at the beginning (in the first few weeks). And of course also when you sow the seeds. Please make sure to water it.
Now I have one more wish:
Please tell me in the comments below which plants you have had good experiences with in drought conditions.
Do you also want to be a climate hero?
I have put together these twelve varieties for you. Just click on the photo!
All are great sources of food for insects and give us abundant Flowers with a long flowering period.
You get a complete package with my 12 favorite climate heroes, all perfectly coordinated with each other.