Happy in the Heat

Embrace those hot, dry sun-drenched parts of your summer garden — there are plenty of plants that love it that way

When the sun beats down relentlessly and the air seems to shimmer in the heat, long summer afternoons turn into an endurance test for many garden plants. Westerly facing parts of the garden are the biggest challenge, offering an environment where only the toughest will survive. But fortunately, there are plenty of robust species that are up to the task and, with a long hot summer forecast around the country this year, it’s worth getting acquainted with them. By creating plantscapes that will thrive in a hot dry environment, without the need for constant irrigation, you’ll be able to enjoy a garden which is lovely to look at and low on stress.

Some like it hot

The plants species that can cope best with heat and drought have developed special adaptations for survival. Most silver and grey foliage plants, for instance, have leaves covered with fine hairs which reflect the sun and so reduce transpiration (water loss). Other plants, including many Australian natives, minimise water loss via their waxy needle-like foliage— think hakeas and casuarinas for example. Then there are the plants which store water in their fleshy leaves, like succulents, or in underground bulbs or rhizomes, such as native irises (Patersoniaspp.). The intriguing Queensland bottle tree (Brachychiton rupestris) even stores water in its bulbous trunk! Cactus species have dispensed with leaves altogether, which is the ultimate water saving adaptation.



Generally speaking, Australian natives area great place to start when choosing plants for hot dry spots, but they’re not the only ones. There are also many suitable species which hail from the Mediterranean, Africa and arid parts of the USA and South America. Regardless of their origins, it’s about grouping together plants that enjoy these conditions—lots of sun and not much water —to produce landscapes which can look after themselves through the heat.

Get the soil right

Even when you’re landscaping an area with low-water-use plants, it’s still important to improve the soil first, so that whatever water they receive gets down to where it’s needed (the root zone). Start by digging in plenty of organic matter like compost and manure, to enhance the water holding capacity of the soil. Next, apply a soil wetting agent to ensure water can penetrate deeply. These products, which come in liquid orgranular forms, help to break down the water repellent layer that develops on the surface of soils and causes water to run off. And lastly, after planting, always apply a layer of organic mulch (such as lucerne, pea straw or sugar cane), to keep the soil cooler and reduce evaporation.

Plants for hot spots

Create a mixed landscape for the sun-exposed areas of your garden, using a combination of medium to tall shrubs and lower ground covering and clumping plants. 



Medium-size plants

Alyogyne (native hibiscus); Agave attenuata; atriplex (saltbush); Banksia ericifolia; Banksia ‘Birthday Candles’; Acacia ‘Limelight’; callistemon; eremophila (emu bush); grevillea; hakea; strelitizia; westringia; yucca.



Low plants and groundcovers

Blue chalksticks (Curio repens syn. Senecio serpens); carpobrotus; Casuarina ‘Cousin It’; Crassula ‘Blue Waves’; cotyledon; dietes; echeveria; everlasting daisy (Xerochrysumspp.); kangaroo paw; Kalanchoe ‘Silver Spoons’; Kalanchoe ‘Copper Spoons’; lomandra; mesembryanthemum; sedum; silver bush (Convolvulus cneorum).

 

Edibles for hot spots

While most fruit and vegetable crops like plenty of sun, they also need lots of water. But there are a few exceptions, including drought-hardy pomegranates, olive trees, rosemary and dragonfruit (which is a form of cactus). If your vegie patch gets a blast of hot afternoon sun during the summer months, consider setting up a shadecloth screen as a shield.

Quick Tips

• Minimise lawn in the hot westerly-exposed areas of a garden—it’s too thirsty! Replace it with beds of dry-tolerant shrubs, groundcovers and strappy-leaved plants.

• Do everything you can to maintain moisture within the soil, using wetting agents, organic matter and surface mulch.

• Consider planting a row of screening plants along exposed westerly aspects, to shade adjoining areas – callistemons, banksias, tea trees and wattles are all good options.

• For low-care container schemes, try a selection of succulents and striking cactus species like the golden barrel cactus (Echinocactus grusonii).