Drought-resistant gardening

Monday 9 June 2025

Climate and wildlife

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With both ecological and climate crises unfolding before us, our climate and wildlife blog will explore aspects of this as well as the difference that organisations and individuals can achieve.

Large white butterfly on lavender by Megan Lowe

Following one of the driest springs on record, Jack takes a look at giving your garden and wildlife a helping hand...

With this spring being one of the driest on record in the UK, now is a good time to consider how you can make your gardens and greenspaces more drought tolerant.

This is really important both now and in the future as, firstly, The UK Climate Projections tool from the Met Office show the UK will likely experience more drier summers. This can only put pressure on our water supplies, resulting in the need for everyone to be more conscious about conserving water. Secondly, the wildlife that depend on our greenspaces to thrive are significantly harmed from these prolonged droughts, due to the negative effects they have on food sources and habitats. Having a space that can still flourish even in dry conditions will be essential for helping wildlife get through these difficult periods as well as keeping your garden healthy. I spent time at university researching drought adaptations in the root traits of wheat as these dry spells can be devastating for crop yields too; having varieties that cope with drier conditions will be critical for ensuring stable agriculture in the future.

Consider planting drought-tolerant, robust species such as lavender, rosemary, sage, Echinacea and hardy geraniums. Try planting these species together so that plants with similar needs are in close proximity to avoid having to water large areas. Maximising the amount of drought tolerant flowering plants will also provide a great benefit for pollinators - many plants reduce or stop producing nectar in a time of drought or stress. With healthy plants around during a drought, struggling wildlife will have a better chance of finding food, water and shelter.

A pair of hands putting stones into a newly created pond

As you probably know, ponds are an essential feature of any wildlife garden and so having a water source available for wildlife will be invaluable to help them survive harsh droughts. At these times, you may be surprised how often they are visited and by what wildlife. Sides of ponds can be great places to set up cameras to see what comes by. Also consider if your space can accommodate a form of water harvesting, such as water butts, to avoid waste. Watering plants deep but infrequently can stimulate deep root growth, as opposed to more shallow lateral roots, enabling plants to access water stored deep in the soil that is available even in droughts. Don't, of course, forget to leave out a bowl of clean, fresh water for any wild visitors.

Lastly, composts and manure are great at increasing the soil organic matter, which is great for soil health as well as water retention. Think about (sustainably-sourced) mulches or barks to suppress unwanted growth and reduce the surface level evaporation that occurs. Otherwise, water can be lost before it has chance to soak into the ground, leaving it hard for plant roots to penetrate.

Although UK wildlife is extraordinarily resilient, when we experience ongoing or serious dry spells, species will suffer, so adapting our spaces for this will give them some extra help and keep your garden looking green for you too.