Summer 2026 changed everything.
A record-warm spring accompanied by Heatwave #1, an early drought, water restrictions in almost every département, scorched lawns and struggling borders. Heatwaves #2, #3, #4, #5 followed in quick succession...
What we've observed from the Deux Sèvres - a region between Poitiers and Bordeaux, impacted particularly by the heatwaves, the fires, the drought, is that we need to adapt. Adapt our definition of beauty and adapt our gardens.
The thirsty garden belongs to the past.
The future is the dry garden, the resilient garden, the no-watering garden: beautiful, alive and sustainable.
Good news: it is early October, and this is the best time to act.
Why the dry garden is THE trend of the year
This is no passing fad, it is a response to reality. This summer, close to 70% of the country was under water-use restrictions, and garden watering is one of the first uses to be limited. In some départements, watering despite a ban can cost up to €1,500 in fines. Be advised for the summers to come!
At the same time, gardeners' tastes are shifting: looser, more plant-led gardens, natural materials, heritage varieties, biodiversity, "almost wild" gardens. Xeriscaping (from the Greek xeros, "dry") ticks every box: less water, less upkeep, more pollinators.
Depending on the source, a well-designed dry garden cuts water use by 40 to 75% compared with a conventional garden, and by up to 100% once plants are established.
The secret of dry-garden plants: fragrance is strategy
When you brush a lavender or a santolina and the scent hits you, you are smelling terpenes, aromatic compounds produced by tiny glands on the leaves. They help defend the plant (against insects and disease) and contribute to its heat tolerance.
Add small, silvery or downy foliage that limits evaporation, plus roots that reach deep for water, and you get plants built for extreme summers.
The 4 stars of the dry garden
Lavender (Lavandula): the icon
Full sun, free-draining soil, almost no watering once established. Fragrant blooms that attract bees and butterflies. Trim lightly after flowering, and never cut back into old wood.
Agastache (Agastache): the flowering marathon
Colourful spikes (orange, pink, blue, purple) from summer until the first frosts, aniseed-scented foliage, and a magnet for pollinators. It brings the colour people think is reserved for watered gardens.
Cistus (Cistus): the sun champion
A Mediterranean shrub with large, crinkled-paper flowers in white or pink that open fresh every morning. It hates heavy, waterlogged winter soil: plant it in free-draining ground, even on a slope or in a rock garden.
Santolina (Santolina chamaecyparissus): the silver foliage
A fragrant mound of silver-grey foliage with bright yellow buttons in summer. Perfect for edging, gravel borders or as evergreen structure. A trim after flowering keeps it compact.
Pair them with sage, thyme, yarrow, sedum or strawberry tree, which also tolerate dry conditions once established.
7 steps to a resilient garden
- 🌱 Plant in autumn (that's now!) Autumn and winter rains help roots settle in before next summer.
- 🪴 Get the drainage right. Most dry-garden plants fear winter waterlogging more than drought. This means adding rocks or sand to the soil, wood chips or sticks to the bottom of the hole before nestling your new plant into it - especially if your soil is clay based.
- Mulch generously (gravel, bark, straw, wood chips) and never ever ever ever leave soil bare.
- 👯 Group plants by water needs: thrifty plants together, thirsty ones close to the water source. If you need some suggestions for 'ecosystem plantations' - check out our Garden Kits! These are tested plant associations that survived both the waves of 42°C as well as a few days of -10°C,
- 🌳 Reduce the lawn in favour of ground covers, dry borders and flowering areas.
- 💦 Water rarely but deeply in the first year to encourage deep rooting.
- Collect rainwater, and always check your commune's alert level on VigiEau before watering.
A dry garden is not a sad garden
That is the big misunderstanding.
A resilient garden is colourful, fragrant and buzzing.
It changes with the seasons, needs less mowing and less watering, and shelters more biodiversity.
It also spares you the stress of restrictions and water bills.
Frequently asked questions
Can you really have a garden without watering?
Yes, once plants are well established (usually after one or two years).
In the first year, spaced-out but generous watering is still needed.
Our experimental gardens (planted in august 2024) not only survived the summer, but actually seemed to thrive. We watered once in the middle of each heatwave, taking the time to water deeply in the evening and ensuring that the mulch was arranged around the base of each plant to prevent rapid evaporation.
What are the best drought-tolerant plants?
Lavender, agastache, cistus, santolina, sage, thyme, rosemary, yarrow, sedum, caryopteris, yucca, artemisia: aromatic Mediterranean plants are the most reliable.
When should you plant a dry garden?
Autumn is ideal.
Spring also works, with closer watering follow-up. We did notice that spring planting this year did not have a chance to root properly before the May heatwave came knocking.
For this reason, we highly suggest autumn planting for highest success rates.
