Garden suntraps can make life difficult for gardeners. In hot gardens, high temperatures bake the soil, driving out moisture and nutrients. Here are ten plants that have adapted to thrive in the conditions of hot gardens.

1. Achillea filipendulina (yarrow)

This perennial is great in dry soils and full sun. It forms in clumps so will give you a rich display of yellow gold, that pollinators will flock to.  ‘Cloth of Gold’ is a variety that has cheery yellow flowers that form a bright blanket.

  • Semi-evergreen foliage with flowers in summer
  • Fully hardy
  • Grows up to 2.5m tall
  • Moist but well-drained or well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed
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2. Alcea rosea (hollyhock)

Reaching up to 2.5m tall, hollyhocks are a great addition to your sun-baked garden. The perennial has the potential to self-seed, and this will often occur in between the cracks of dry soil. With its attractive flowering displays, it’s a fantastic pollinator plant too.

  • Flowers in summer
  • Hardy
  • Grows up to 2.5m tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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3. Crocus chrysanthus (golden crocus)

Plant this bulb in autumn and in late winter or spring you’ll have beautiful yellow flowers that join the grey-green foliage. These low growing plants grow up to 10cm tall, so look perfect sitting at the front of a border.

  • Flowers in late winter
  • Fully hardy
  • Grows up to 10cm tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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4. Dianthus alpinus (alpine pink)

Next is an evergreen that provides low-level ground cover with its mat forming habit. In summer, it will provide a display of white or pink blooms that will brighten up your borders. They are also well suited to rock or gravel gardens too as a low-maintenance pick.

  • Flowers in summer
  • Fully hardy
  • Grows up to 10cm tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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5. Delosperma nubigenum (hardy yellow ice plant)

The ground hugging evergreen gives a mat of succulent green leaves that turn bronze in colour in the winter. In late spring and summer, vibrant yellow flowers bloom that complements the bright foliage perfectly. These versatile plants are suited to banks and slopes as well as coastal gardens and rock gardens.

  • Evergreen foliage and flowers in spring
  • Hardy
  • Grows up to 10cm tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed
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6. Dorotheanthus bellidiformis (livingstone daisy)

Plant this low growing annual at the front of your garden display where it will thrive. With its small leaves and array of colourful daisy-like flowers, it’s a delight to have in your garden. To grow them from seed, sow in trays in winter or spring, transplanting them to pots when they are big enough to be handled.

  • Flowers in summer
  • Hardy
  • Grows up to 30cm tall
  • Well-drained soils
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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7. Echium vulgare (viper’s bugloss)

The bristly biennial produces slender spires of violet-blue colour in the borders. A popular plant for pollinators, the drought-tolerant characteristics make it a perfect pick for a hot garden where it’ll grow up to 75cm tall.

  • Flowers in summer
  • Fully hardy
  • Grows up to 75cm tall
  • Well-drained soils
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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8. Eryngium maritimum (sea holly)

This coastal-dwelling plant thrives in rocky soils. It’s an upright perennial that produces a rounded flower heads that are bright blue in colour from early summer to early autumn. These plants will undoubtedly add texture to a coastal or gravel garden.

  • Semi-evergreen foliage and flowers in spring
  • Hardy
  • Grows up to 60cm tall
  • Well-drained soils
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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9. Gypsophila repens (creeping gypsophila)

Growing to around 20cm high, this semi-evergreen perennial will spread and has evolved from a hot Mediterranean climate. As it spreads, it forms mats of green leaves peppered with flowers that are pale pink in colour – trim back once it has finished flowering.

  • Semi-evergreen and flowers in summer
  • Hardy
  • Grows up to 15cm tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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10. Jovibarba hirta var. neilreichii (Neilreich’s hairy beard of Jupiter)

Last is an evergreen perennial that thrives in full sun and dry soil. After a few years, in summer, it will produce bell-shaped flowers that are a yellow-brown colour.

  • Evergreen foliage
  • Hardy through most of the UK
  • Grows up to 50cm tall
  • Well-drained soil
  • Full sun
  • Exposed or sheltered
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For hot, sun-baked gardens, these plants will thrive in those bright spots that are prone to being slightly drier.

Spring is here, see my post on spring pollinators:

Or check out my Pinterest board for more ideas: