Are We Planting Our Gardens for the Wrong Climate?

We’ve finally reached that awkward July garden phase. Roses have gone over, lawns are 50 shades of beige, and deadheading is becoming a religious ritual — that is, if your plants have even survived this scorching summer, at all.

This year England experienced its warmest June on record, clocking in at 3ºC above the average June temp and reaching a whopping 37.7ºC — the UK’s highest June temperature on record. Not that you need reminding, I’m sure.

Though, I don’t know about you, this summer felt different. It wasn’t just a sporadic bank holiday weekend of intense sunshine; this time it was prolonged and relentless. Even the most established trees and perennials suffered. So much so, gardeners are starting to question whether England’s green and pleasant land is really made for these new summers.

How Are Garden Designers Handling the Changing Weather?

It’s not just amateur gardeners who are feeling the challenges. Even the pros are having to rethink their planting schemes to futureproof their gardens rapidly.

“With the weather changing year on year, we’ve already been adapting our planting schemes for some time,” Award-winning garden designer and star of BBC’s Your Garden Made Perfect, Pip Probert, tells me. “Splitting my time between the office and being out on site, I’m seeing the impact in my own garden as I look out of the office window for inspiration, and then experience the challenges first‑hand while planting up clients’ gardens.”

“Some plant varieties simply can’t cope with the increasingly erratic conditions, and I’m now using these more sparingly or adjusting where they’re positioned. I’m becoming more selective in my choices, while still allowing for the fact that we also have to cope with the opposite extreme: colder, wetter winters. It’s a balancing act, but one that’s becoming increasingly important as our climate continues to shift.”

According to Pip, it isn’t just the water-loving plants that are suffering this summer. She explains, “I’ve noticed that planting beneath larger feature trees is suffering the most. Even though these plants are suited to shade and are used to competing with established specimens for moisture, this year they’re struggling to get enough water to survive. Trees and large shrubs need far more water to sustain themselves through prolonged heat, and the smaller plants beneath them are feeling the effects.”

Are Mediterranean Plants Good for UK Planting?

two wicker chairs surrounded by green plants — Not all Mediterranean plants suit the UK climate.

We’re continually facing heatwaves comparable to our continental neighbours. So does the answer to our gardening woes lie in Mediterranean gardens instead? According to the experts, yes and no.

Full of drought-resistant foliage, Mediterranean plants like olive trees, vines, and rosemary are naturally adapted to withstand intense heat. Plus their organically neutral-to-cool color palette makes them a firm favorite in modern garden designs, catering well to the trending clean, muted garden aesthetic.

“I’m very fond of a Mediterranean‑styled garden,” says Pip. “It’s a theme I really enjoy working with. More and more clients are requesting Mediterranean‑inspired spaces, sometimes to evoke that holiday feeling, and sometimes because the style can be seen as slightly lower maintenance.”

But as Pip highlights, opting exclusively for non-native Mediterranean flowers and foliage will impact our wildlife, pollinators, and ecosystem. “The plant selection associated with this [Mediterranean] look is becoming increasingly relevant to our ‘new normal’, but I do feel that filling a garden entirely with Mediterranean plants can mean losing some of our much‑loved UK favorites.” To solve this problem, she recommends partnering Mediterranean foliage with native plants of similar properties. “While I often take inspiration from Mediterranean styles and planting palettes, I still try to maintain a sense of home to ensure we continue creating vibrant, sustainable and ecologically supportive spaces.

“We have many native plants that are perfectly suited to free‑draining conditions, whether in a gravel garden or simply a drier area within a wildlife garden. Coastal species, in particular, are known for their tolerance of sandy, rocky or pebbly soils. Their deep root systems allow them to reach moisture further down in the ground, making them naturally resilient in drought‑prone areas. Choosing UK native plants not only helps our gardens cope with drier conditions, but also provides vital habitat and food sources for local wildlife.”

A woman smiling to camera with glasses on and a garden behind her

Agata Henderson

Agata Henderson is West London–based garden designer and glass artist specializing in creating beautiful, functional urban outdoor spaces for busy families with children and pets.

She designs small city gardens that invite relaxation, connection, and joy, where her clients can unwind and make lasting memories with loved ones. Her gardens offer both comfort and escape from hectic life.

By combining creative design, practical experience, and deep plant knowledge, she transforms even the smallest or most neglected plots into vibrant, low-maintenance garden retreats that evolve through life’s changing stages.

The Big Soggy Problem

agapanthus plants next to terracotta pots — Winter poses more of a concern for Mediterranean planting.

Here in the UK, we have quite a unique planting problem. On the one hand, we need drought-tolerant plants that can withstand dry conditions and prolonged intense summer heat. On the other, they need to be ready for our inevitable wet and freezing winters (need I remind us of the relentless rainfall this January). So while Mediterranean-inspired plants seem like a good idea in the summer, winter poses a big problem.

As Pip explains, it’s this dilemma which drives today’s garden designs. “Choosing plants that can survive both wet winters and dry summers is becoming a staple requirement for all our projects”, says Pip. “Constant watering in summer is not only time‑consuming, but with hosepipe bans slowly creeping in across the country, it’s increasingly inconvenient (especially in larger gardens). Rather than selecting plants that thrive in one extreme or the other, perhaps we should be looking for plants that can simply cope with both — where tolerance becomes more important than peak performance.

Designer Agata Henderson says this is a common problem in garden designs, but she overcomes it with careful irrigation designs. “We increasingly seem to experience prolonged periods of heat and drought between April and August, followed by months of relentless rain,” she says.

“A sustainable, future-proof garden must be designed to cope with both extremes. This can include harvesting rainwater during wetter months and storing it for use during dry spells and hosepipe bans. It also means choosing materials carefully. Black composite fencing and decking, as well as dark slate paving, get uncomfortably hot in summer and store heat, increasing the temperature in gardens; while other surfaces can become dangerously slippery during a wet autumn, winter and spring. I am a great fan of limestone paving, which seems to tick many of the boxes for both extremes.”

man with crossed arms in a suit smiles to camera

Connor Healy

Connor Healy comes from a family of farmers but trained in gardening and landscaping with his father’s business, going on to establish his own successful company, Healy Garden Design in 2018. It is believed to be the first in the UK to also offer a complimentary Garden Mapping service using practices rooted in ancient and divine beliefs, such as numerology, astrology and feng shui.

Which Plants Should We Be Avoiding?

A garden with two red chairs and a wooden table on a small lawn surrounded by foliage and a hydrangea bush — Hydrangea have been the biggest victims of this year’s heat.

If the thought of choosing the right plant is leaving you with decision paralysis, planting expert Connor Healy at Healy Garden Design has some sage advice on which plants might be best avoided.

“In this summer heat, avoid planting new hydrangeas, acers, fuchsias and astilbes as these are prone to leaf scorching and soil drying,” says Connor. “If you have these in your garden, I recommend buying shade cloth or horticultural fleece and avoid planting new plants until autumn, when we get a great mixture of rain, sun and cooler temperatures. Roses, however, are more resilient due to their deep-rooting systems but can still be affected by the summer heat, so tend to them delicately.”

For designer Agata Henderson, hydrangeas are proving particularly difficult to maintain, much to her dismay. “This year’s conditions were devastating for hydrangeas, which have made a huge comeback in British gardens in recent years. They are likely to struggle in a sunny garden during prolonged periods of heat and drought.”

The same can be said for garden designer Pip. “I do love Hydrangea ‘Limelight’ and often use it in my schemes,” says Pip. “But it’s definitely one of the plants suffering in this summer’s extreme heat.”

However, if you’re still set on your hydrangeas, all isn’t lost. Pip advises that a plant’s position goes a long way to help its health and future resilience. “I don’t think we need to stop using these plants, we simply need to adapt. Positioning becomes even more important; giving them more shelter, deeper soil, or access to additional moisture can make a big difference.

“At the moment, my first job each morning is watering. It not only puts me in a good mood, but the cooler temperature also allows plants to drink deeply before the heat builds. Always water the soil rather than the foliage, using a watering can to create a small pool that soaks directly down to the roots. Mulching around the base of plants also helps keep soil temperatures down and retain moisture.”

Which Plants Are Best for UK Summers?

Acacia dealbata
Amelanchier × grandiflora ‘Robin Hill’
Crataegus laevigata ‘Crimson Cloud’
Magnolia × loebneri ‘Leonard Messel’
Malus ‘John Downie’.
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides,
Choisya ternata
Euphorbia mellifera
Phlomis italica
Viburnum × bodnantense ‘Dawn’.
Agapanthus ‘Indigo Dreams’
Bistorta amplexicaulis
Euphorbia palustris
Iris sibirica
Lythrum salicaria

Ornamental Trees

Amelanchier X Grandiflora ‘robin Hill’ Tree

Crocus

Euphorbia Mellifera

Crocus

Viburnum × Bodnantense ‘dawn’

Bowdens Nursery

Indigo Dreams

Though it may seem overwhelming, changing our horticultural habits is abundantly necessary if our gardens are going to continue to thrive.

The main takeaway? Preparation.

Prepare your soil with aeration, mulch and irrigation; prepare your structures for water collection, and prepare your planting positions properly to minimise environmental stresses.