Recently our summers have proved to be hot, sometimes very hot and dry, with little rain to nourish the garden. Some plants have naturally adapted to develop resilience and drought tolerance by protecting themselves from the sun, for example through silver or blue-grey leaves with tiny hairs or foliage with a tough, waxy surface.

The 13 plants included in Rosy's plan for a drought resistant border will all thrive in full sun in a well drained soil and can cope with periods of little rain once they are established. Although shown within a rectangular 'border' area, the same plants would also suit a gravel garden by pulling groups of plants apart to introduce walkways through them.

As with our other plans, you can scale the area and quantity of plants up or down to suit your garden. If you need help with this please contact us, we would be delighted to help.

Click here for a printable version of Rosy's Drought Resistant Border

The Plan

AMARINE 'Anastasia' (1) - vibrant pink flowers in autumn arranged like the spokes of a wheel on upright stems - bit of a showstopper Or try any AMARINE or NERINE...

BALLOTA pseudodictamnus (2) - medium height mounds of tactile grey-green foliage with small pale pink flowers in summer, good for planters too Or try PHLOMIS grandiflora 'Lloyd's Silver'

OENOTHERA 'Rosy Shimmers' (3) - airy and graceful plant with large pale pink flowers and deeper reddish-pink veining from mid summer into autumn Or try any OENOTHERA vars except O.'Ruby Ruby' , VERBENA bonariensis

HYLOTELEPHIUM 'Matrona' (4) - clusters of small pale pink flowers in autumn over waxy bronzed foliage - attractive seed heads through winter Or try EUPHORBIA 'Blue Haze'

IBERIS sempervirens (5) - a spreading carpet of pure white flowers in late spring/early summer over dark evergreen foliage Or try ARTEMISIA schmidtiana 'Nana'

IPHEION 'Alberto Castillo' (6) - masses of dainty white honey-scented flowers during late winter and early spring - summer deciduous Or try any STACHYS or VERBENA rigida

LYCHNIS coronaria 'Gardeners World' (7) - vivid magenta double flowers on multi-branching stems in summer - does not self-seed

MORINA longifolia (8) - white flowers fading to pink then crimson over glossy, thistle-like foliage from July through August - will wander as it self seeds

SALVIA 'Blue Spire' (9) - 'Russian Sage' - masses of small pale blue flowers carried on white stems in autumn - fragrant with good winter interest

PULSATILLA vulgaris 'Rode Klokke' (10) - stunning red form of Pasque Flower - crimson red petals and finely dissected foliage Or try any PULSATILLA , HYLOTELEPHIUM cauticola 'Coca-Cola' or HYLOTELEPHIUM cauticola 'Lidakense'

STIPA tenuissima (11) - 'Mexican Feather Grass' - a fountain of fine green grass fading to buff in autumn, staying upright through winter - very tactile Or try CAREX comans bronze-leaved , FESTUCA glauca 'Elijah Blue'

TEUCRIUM x lucidrys (12) - bright pink tubular flowers through summer set off by shiny evergreen foliage - this shrub can be clipped to form a low hedge

VERBASCUM 'Chantilly' (13) - delicate pale cream flowers open from the base of the stem upwards from mid to late summer - neat basal foliage Or try VERBASCUM blattaria f.albiflorum ,

For Mail Order. Our mail order team is very small, so we’re unable to advise you on bespoke design, the specific numbers of plants you’ll need for borders which are bigger or smaller than the plans detail, or to complete quotes for online purchasing. We can only do this type of work if you visit the nursery. If you wish to purchase the plants online, use the links in the plans to find the plants. We may not have all the plants listed on the plans for mail order delivery at any one time. Our nursery shop often has alternatives and substitutes, but we can only advise and provide these if you visit us.

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Rosy's planting plan for a Sunny Border

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Rosy's Planting Plan for a Border with Moisture Retentive Soil