Advice for dry gardens
Get help for planting and ideas for your dry garden
People plan to mow their lawns no more than once in May according to new poll supporting No Mow May
A new poll demonstrates that more people than ever are planning on not mowing in May as part of Plantlife's No Mow May campaign
Stop! Here are 14 things you think you need to do in your garden but you actually don't
As National Gardening Week arrives, the RHS offers up 14 things in your garden that you think might work, but which actually don't
How to create a gravel garden
In the first of a new design series, the award-wining designer Andy Sturgeon, looks at a style of planting that can adapt to many situations. Words Andy Sturgeon
Adapting to drought: how we should be gardening
As the hot weather in the UK continues, we ask three horticultural experts of the realities of drought on gardens and how we should be adapting the way we garden to hotter, drier conditions in the summer, and wetter, warmer conditions in the winter
What does drought mean for our gardens?
With England seeing its driest July in decades in 2022 and more dry weather on the way this year, we investigate the impact of a potential national drought being declared and what this would mean for our gardens
Favourite lavenders for a low maintenance garden
Lavender is a very versatile, low maintenance plant to grow and is suitable for gardens of all sizes. Here is a list of favourite lavender cultivars, along with tips on how best to grow and maintain them
Best drought tolerant plants to grow
Looking to add more drought tolerant plants to your garden? Annie Godfrey of Daisy Roots nursery recommends some of the best drought tolerant plants.
An airy gravel garden around a modern house in Dorset
For their mid-century modernist home in west Dorset, Vanessa Barlow and Jethro Marshall looked to designer Alice Meacham to create an airy gravel garden that would complement their open plan home. Words Hannah Gardner, photographs Jason Ingram
Recommendations for Salvias to grow in the garden
Advice on growing all types of salvia, plus a selection of the best salvia to grow in your garden from William Dyson's Great Comp Garden in Kent.
How to plan a dry garden plus plant combinations
Spanish designer Fernando Martos explains why he combines the beauty of Spain's arid landscape with English planting ideas in his dry garden designs. If we're considering climate change, his approach could be a useful one for us to take note of
Tips for planting in a dry climate
In western Spain, a mix of drought-tolerant plants and careful design has allowed this garden to flourish, despite its extreme weather. With hot, dry weather a possible norm for our summers, take note of these tips for designing in a dry climate. Words Noel Kingsbury, photographs Claire Takacs
Saving water in garden design
Harvesting and storing rainwater run-off, as well as recycling household water, can help gardeners cope with drought, writes garden designer Andrew Wilson
Olivier Filippi on the need to adapt to a hotter climate
The French dry gardening guru on learning from his mistakes, adapting to climate change and why the future of UK gardening may owe more to sculpture than to painting
. Portrait Charlie Hopkinson
A small, sloping in garden in San Francisco
Careful sculpting, artfully placed local stone and considered planting has transformed a sloping garden in San Francisco into a charming, immersive space. Images by Marion Brenner.
30 of the best climbing plants for 2024
Choose from our selection of best climbing plants and add vertical interest to walls and trellises or allow to scramble over other plants in borders. Plantsman and garden designer Rory Dusoir gives his top recommendations.
Plants for full sun
As temperatures and climates change, the need to grow resilient plants is a necessity for every gardener. Here expert plantsman and landscape designer Cassian Schmidt picks out his top choices of plants for dry, sunny areas in the garden.
Coastal plants: plants for a seaside garden
Coastal gardens provide a unique set of conditions for growing, here we recommend some of the best plants to help you make the most of your space
A sustainable family garden in Australia
The inspirational garden of landscape designer Kathleen Murphy is a lesson in creating a sustainable family space that is lived in and loved. Words Ali Heath, images Marnie Hawson
Reduced need for water and year-round good looks in a Spanish garden
For this garden in central Spain, Fernando Martos has used planting that is absolutely of its place, with year-round good looks, and a reduced need for water – essential for this harsh climate. Words Noel Kingsbury, photographs Claire Takacs
Growing without soil
It may sound radical but growing plants in sand and using biochar will encourage greater moisture retention and nutrient uptake and mean less watering and ongoing maintenance in hot summers. Soil expert Joshua Sparkes explains. Illustration Vicki Turner
How to grow verbena
From the familiar, tall and willowy Verbena bonariensis to the compact Verbena rigida, this group of herbaceous perennials offers gardeners plenty of long-flowering options. Words Marina Christopher
A lush but drought-tolerant garden in California
Flora Grubb's garden in California has a lush feel, but uses plants that need very little water. Words Kendra Wilson, photographs Caitlin Atkinson
Planting for a dry and shady urban garden
In a twist on the traditional English cottage garden, Katie Guillebaud’s design for a plot in a voguish Oxford neighbourhood combines naturalistic planting with the cosmopolitan feel of the urban village in a thoroughly modern marriage. Words Jodie Jones. Photographs Jason Ingram.
Key plants for a warmer climate
Wondering what to plant in our changing climate? Here are nine key plants from Conrad Batten's Mediterranean-inspired Devon garden. Words: Matthew Reese. Photographs: Jason Ingram