By Elaine Staveley

Can you recommend plants that will do well in hot, dry Irish summer, like the one we just had? Anne, Malahide

Yes, a lot of plants suffered this past summer in the heat and drought. And now is good is a good time to plant for next summer as the plants will have time to settle in. The good news is that there are plenty of beautiful plants that can cope with dry conditions, once established. These plants will cope with rain too.

Yarrow (Achillea) is a classic drought-tolerant perennial with flat flowerheads. It thrives in full sun and free-draining soil and works particularly well in naturalistic or prairie-style planting. It comes in a variety of colours, including white, pink and yellow.
Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria) has ferny foliage and daisy-like bright yellow flowers from June to October. It performs particularly well in poor, dry soil. It self-seeds quite easily, so cut it back to about 2cm after flowering to prevent this.

Smoke Bush (Cotinus coggygria) is a useful drought-tolerant shrub, with airy flowers which resemble puffs of smoke and a gorgeous wine foliage colour. It prefers sun and free-draining soil.

Geranium ‘Rozanne’ is a fantastic choice for all gardens, providing reliable long-lasting vibrant purple flowers. And bees love it too!

Sedum is another plant which does well in dry weather as its succulent leaves store water, meaning it can last longer in drought.
Verbena bonariensis is another plant which has become more popular in recent years and will offer you really long flowering periods in dry weather. It self-seeds a little, but not so much to be a problem.

I would also consider creating areas of shade in your garden by planting trees and shrubs. And try and improve your soil health over time, by addin mulches (eg bark chips or your garden compost).

Finally, remember that drought-tolerant doesn’t mean drought-proof. Planting in autumn, or early spring gives plants time to establish their roots before the next dry summer arrives. So get planting now!

Have a question on plant selection? If you are not sure what to plant in a particular spot in your garden, send your question to ask@plantplanner.ie and it could be answered in a future edition of Malahide Local.

Elaine Staveley designs planting schemes for urban gardens. For more information, go to www.plantplanner.ie