You create a drought-tolerant garden in three steps: you make the soil poor and free-draining, you plant species that naturally cope with drought (think lavender, sage, sedum and ornamental grasses), and you cover the bare soil with a mulch layer of about 5 to 8 cm. That way you have to water far less, even in a dry summer. And it genuinely adds up: an average Dutch garden gets around 1,100 litres of drinking water a year poured through the sprinkler (Milieu Centraal).
I (Fred) fell into this myself after two summers in a row of lugging a watering can round the garden in the evening, because the water authority had banned sprinklers. Since then I have turned my front garden over to plants that just sort themselves out. Less work, more bees, and the garden still looks good.
In this article you will read exactly how to go about it: which plants, which soil, which mulch, how to bring cooling into your garden and roughly what it costs.
What is a drought-tolerant garden?
A drought-tolerant garden is a garden laid out to get through long dry spells with little or no extra water. To do that you combine three things: plants that tolerate drought, soil that either holds water better or drains well, and as little evaporation from bare surfaces as possible.
So this is not about a gravel desert with no greenery. Quite the opposite: a well set up drought-tolerant garden is packed with planting, just planting made up of species that get by on very little water.
Why bother creating one?
Summers in north-west Europe are on average getting drier and warmer, and you notice it in the garden. During dry spells the water authorities increasingly impose an abstraction ban: no more pumping water out of ditches, streams or canals (Waterschap De Dommel, Aa en Maas). In the summer of 2026, for example, such a ban applied across large parts of Brabant and Limburg.
There are a few concrete reasons to make your garden drought-tolerant:
- Less watering. Plants that are naturally set up for drought manage on a fraction of the water.
- Less dependent on the tap and on bans. If you run mainly on rainwater, a hosepipe ban does not bother you.
- Cooling. A green garden stays considerably cooler in summer than a paved one (more on that below).
- Biodiversity. Drought plants like lavender, sage and catmint are top plants for bees and butterflies.
How do you prepare the soil?
This is the step most people skip, and precisely the step that makes the difference. Mediterranean and drought plants want poor, free-draining soil. They are more likely to die from wet feet in winter than from drought in summer.
Sort out the drainage first. On heavy clay, water sits around too long, and that is fatal for plants like lavender and rosemary. So work coarse sand and gravel or grit through the top layer (about 30 cm). On a genuinely wet spot, a raised bed of at least 15 cm helps (Wildi).
Do not feed too richly. This feels counter-intuitive, but rich, well-fed soil makes Mediterranean plants floppy and sickly. They belong on poor ground, and that is exactly where they flower best. So do not put a thick layer of manure or potting compost under these plants.
Compost is fine, in moderation. A thin layer of compost improves the structure and helps the soil hold moisture, which is perfectly good for most perennials and grasses (Milieu Centraal). Only with the true Mediterranean species (lavender, rosemary, santolina) do you keep it as lean as you can.
Rule of thumb: Mediterranean herbs lean and with grit, other drought plants in ordinary garden soil with a little compost.
Which plants do you choose? (plant list)
Below are sixteen reliable drought plants for the garden. All of them like full sun unless stated otherwise. I give the spacing as the number of plants per square metre (from 9 cm pots, P9), following the usual rules of thumb: small plants 7 to 9 per m², large spreading plants 3 to 5 per m², large grasses 1 to 3 per m² (123planten).
Hardiness is included so you know what survives the winter and what you need to protect.
| Plant | Position | Plants per m² | Hardiness | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) | Full sun, limy, dry | 5-7 | Yes, fully hardy | Prune every year after flowering, never into old wood |
| Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) | Full sun, dry, sheltered | 3-5 | Moderate, protect in hard frost | Light prune in spring |
| Ornamental sage (Salvia nemorosa) | Full sun | 7-9 | Yes | Cutting back spent stems gives a second flush |
| Russian sage (Perovskia/Salvia yangii) | Full sun, dry | 3-5 | Yes | Cut back to about 15 cm in spring |
| Catmint (Nepeta) | Full sun | 5-7 | Yes | Cut back after the first flush for new flowers |
| Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) | Full sun | 5-7 | Yes | Leave the seed heads for the birds and winter structure |
| Yarrow (Achillea) | Full sun | 5-7 | Yes | Deadhead spent flowers |
| Purple top (Verbena bonariensis) | Full sun | 5-7 | Moderate (to about -5°C), self-seeds | Leave standing over winter, clear in spring |
| Stonecrop (Sedum/Hylotelephium) | Full sun | 5-7 | Very good (-15 to -20°C) | Almost none; leave standing over winter |
| Mexican feather grass (Stipa tenuissima) | Full sun | 5-7 | Yes, short-lived, self-seeds | Comb through by hand in spring |
| Miscanthus (silver grass) | Full sun | 1-3 | Yes | Cut back once a year in spring |
| Blue fescue (Festuca glauca) | Full sun | 7-9 | Yes, evergreen | Comb out dead foliage in spring |
| Cotton lavender (Santolina) | Full sun, poor soil | 5-7 | Moderate | Prune in spring to keep it compact |
| Gaura (Oenothera lindheimeri) | Full sun | 5-7 | Moderate | Cut back in spring |
| Mediterranean spurge (Euphorbia characias) | Full sun | 3-5 | Yes | The sap irritates skin, wear gloves |
| Ornamental onion (Allium) | Full sun | 15-25 bulbs | Yes | Plant the bulbs in autumn, then leave them be |
Two container plants that look Mediterranean but are not fully hardy:
- Agapanthus (African lily): hardy in a container down to about -10°C, but move it somewhere frost-free in hard frost or cover the roots well (Agri World).
- Olive tree: hardy in open ground down to about -14°C, in a pot down to about -8°C. Protect the crown and trunk with fleece from about -6°C and stand the pot on feet so the roots are not sitting in wet, frozen soil (123planten, BoomNL).
How do you mulch a drought-tolerant garden?
Mulching means covering bare soil with a layer of material. It is possibly the cheapest way there is to cut evaporation: ground covers such as bark, wood chips or cocoa shells slow evaporation and keep the soil cooler (Milieu Centraal). Less evaporation means the soil stays damp for longer and you have to water less.
Rule of thumb for the depth: lay a layer of about 5 to 8 cm between your plants. Thinner barely works, thicker can get in the way of rooting. Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the stems so they do not rot.
Which material suits which garden?
| Mulch | Suits | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Gravel or grit | Mediterranean plants, crisp formal gardens | Heats up and radiates extra warmth back at the plants (great for lavender); not easy to get out again |
| Wood chips or bark | Perennials, naturalistic gardens | Break down slowly, top up now and then |
| Cocoa shells | Borders, scented gardens | Toxic to dogs, do not use them if a dog uses the garden |
| Dried grass clippings or shredded garden waste | Vegetable beds and informal borders | Spread thinly, otherwise it starts to heat up and ferment |
An extra benefit of mulch: it keeps weeds down, because weed seed does not germinate without light. And in winter a mulch layer protects the roots against frost (Milieu Centraal).
How do you bring cooling into your garden?
There is a big gain here that a lot of people underestimate. Stone and paving absorb heat during the day and release it slowly in the evening, which is why a paved garden stays warm for so long. Greenery does the opposite: it casts shade and evaporates water, and that cools things down.
The difference is substantial. A garden with plenty of greenery can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than one full of paving (NK Tegelwippen). At neighbourhood level, a heavily paved area can push towards 40°C in summer, while a green neighbourhood stays around 30 to 35°C.
Here is how to tackle it:
Lift your paving. Every slab you replace with planting gives you cooling and lets rainwater soak into the ground instead of running into the sewer. Join the annual NK Tegelwippen, the Dutch national paving-removal contest, if you want a push; many local councils collect the rubble for free.
Choose semi-permeable surfacing where you do want something hard. Gravel, grass pavers, grit or shells let water through and hold less heat than solid slabs. That way you keep a path or a patio without letting your garden cook.
Plant something with height for shade. A tree or large shrub gives the most cooling of anything, because it casts shade and evaporates water at the same time. A pergola with a climber works too.
How do you water smartly?
Even a drought-tolerant garden needs water in its first year to get established. After that you can cut the number of waterings right back with a few simple habits.
Use rainwater. Connect a water butt to your downpipe. In a decent downpour of 20 mm an hour, roughly 1,000 litres of water an hour comes off a roof through a single downpipe (Milieu Centraal). For an average garden of 100 to 125 m², a water butt of 200 to 350 litres is usually about right. A basic plastic water butt costs around 90 euros including the stand.
Water deeply and less often. In dry spells, give a good soaking once a week rather than a splash every day. That forces the roots downwards, and deep roots get through drought far better (Milieu Centraal).
Water in the morning or the evening. Water given early in the morning or late in the evening evaporates far less than water given in the middle of the day. That way it actually reaches the roots.
Consider drip irrigation. A soaker hose puts the water right at the roots with very little waste. Combine that with a water butt and you are largely self-sufficient.
What does a drought-tolerant garden cost?
The cost depends heavily on whether you do the work yourself or bring in a landscaper, and on the materials. Below are realistic ranges for the materials if you do it yourself (sources: Werkspot, Tuinmanconcurrent).
| Item | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Perennials and border planting | 7-30 euros per m² |
| Gravel or grit (material) | 7-15 euros per m² |
| Soil improvement (sand, grit, compost) | 5-20 euros per m² |
| Water butt (plastic, with stand) | from about 90 euros |
| Complete garden build by a landscaper | 55-140 euros per m² |
One big saving: build a garden like this in phases. Start with the soil and a few strong plants, and let the rest seed itself around. Species like verbena, feather grass and allium multiply on their own, so you do not have to buy everything at once.
Maintenance through the year
A drought-tolerant garden is not a garden with no work, but it is a garden with very little work. Here is roughly what the year looks like:
- Spring (March to April): cut back ornamental grasses, Russian sage and gaura. Comb through the festuca and stipa by hand. Top up the mulch layer. Clear away the verbena you left standing over winter.
- Late spring (May): plant new perennials (spring is a good planting moment, with enough moisture in the soil to root). Move container plants like agapanthus and olive back outside once the night frosts are done.
- Summer (June to August): cut back spent sage and catmint for a second flush. Water new planting deeply and less often. Enjoy it.
- Late summer (September): leave the seed heads of coneflower and sedum standing for the birds and for winter looks.
- Autumn (October to November): plant bulbs such as allium. Do not prune lavender this late; you already did that after flowering.
- Winter: protect container plants and the moderately hardy species (olive, santolina, agapanthus) against hard frost with fleece and a covering layer over the roots.
Common mistakes
These are the ones I see go wrong most often, and they are all easy to avoid:
- Feeding too richly. Rich soil makes Mediterranean plants sickly and floppy. Keep it lean.
- Planting somewhere too wet. Lavender and rosemary die from wet feet in winter, not from drought in summer. Sort out the drainage.
- The wrong position. These plants want sun, at least six hours a day. In shade they flop and refuse to flower.
- Drowning everything straight away. After the first year you want to water less, so the roots go deeper.
- No mulch. Bare soil evaporates moisture and lets weeds come up. That layer of 5 to 8 cm pays for itself immediately.
Frequently asked questions
Do I still have to water a drought-tolerant garden?
In the first year, yes, to let the plants establish. After that you usually only need water during longer hot, dry spells. Water deeply and less often then, in the morning or the evening (Milieu Centraal).
When is the best time to plant drought plants?
In spring or autumn, when the weather is mild and there is enough moisture in the soil for them to root. Avoid planting in the middle of a heatwave.
Are Mediterranean plants hardy here?
It varies by species. True lavender (Lavandula angustifolia), sage, Russian sage and sedum are fully hardy. Rosemary, santolina, agapanthus and olive are only moderately hardy and you want to protect them in hard frost.
Is a gravel garden the same as a drought-tolerant garden?
No. A bare gravel garden with no plants actually heats up and provides no cooling at all. A drought-tolerant garden is full of planting; you use gravel at most as a permeable mulch or a path.
How deep should the mulch layer be?
Reckon on about 5 to 8 cm between the plants. Keep the mulch a few centimetres away from the stems so they do not rot.
Does a drought-tolerant garden help against heat?
Yes. A green garden can be 5 to 10 degrees cooler than a paved one, because plants cast shade and evaporate water (NK Tegelwippen). Replacing paving with greenery is therefore also a cooling measure.
A drought-tolerant garden does not start at the garden centre, it starts with a good plan: where the sun sits, where water stands, and what you want where. Draw your garden out once before you buy a single plant, and you will avoid most of the blunders and save yourself a lot of moving plants around and dragging watering cans. Want to start properly on paper, with a well thought-out design and clear drawings? Then have a look at fredsbouwtekeningen.nl and go into the garden with a plan.