10 plants that will still be thriving in your Kent or Sussex garden in years to come

Kent and Sussex gardeners know the score. The south-east receives less rainfall than most of England — comparable to parts of northern France — and the trend is accelerating. The Met Office projects that south-east England will see summer rainfall fall by up to 20% by 2050, with temperatures regularly exceeding 30°C.

The good news is that our region's free-draining soils and long, warm summers are exactly what a whole world of beautiful plants loves. Many of these are already RHS Award of Garden Merit winners, trialled at Wisley in Surrey — conditions very similar to our own.

Here are ten to plant this autumn for a garden that looks after itself through the driest summers.

Plants featured in this tip

Agapanthus — Thrives in the warm, sheltered gardens of coastal Sussex and Kent. Stunning blue or white globes on tall stems from July to September. Once established, needs almost no watering.

Echinacea — A prairie native that loves hot, dry conditions — perfect for the Weald's heavier soils once they dry out in summer. Pink, orange and white daisy flowers attract pollinators for months.

Sedum 'Autumn Joy' — Fleshy leaves store water, making sedums almost indestructible in dry south-east summers. The flat-topped flower heads turn from pink to copper-red and are irresistible to late butterflies.

Lavender — Perfectly suited to Kent and Sussex chalk and sandy soils. Thrives in full sun with excellent drainage. The classic choice for a low-maintenance, fragrant border edge.

Verbena bonariensis — Tall, airy stems with tiny purple flowers. Self-seeds freely in gravel and between paving — ideal for the cottage gardens of the High Weald. Needs no watering once established.

Stachys byzantina (Lamb's Ears) — Silver, felted leaves reflect heat and reduce water loss. Spreads gently to form a weed-suppressing ground cover on the well-drained soils common across the North Downs.

Eryngium (Sea Holly) — Architectural steel-blue flowers that look almost metallic. Thrives in the poorest, driest soils — at home in coastal Sussex gardens where salt winds and sandy soil defeat most plants.

Salvia nemorosa — Compact spikes of violet-blue flowers from June to September. Deadhead after the first flush for a second wave. Excellent on the chalk soils of the South Downs.

Kniphofia (Red Hot Poker) — Bold torch-like flowers in orange, red and yellow. Loves the long, warm summers of the south-east and free-draining soil. Hummingbird Hawk-moths, increasingly common in Kent, can't resist it.

Gaura (Whirling Butterflies) — Delicate white and pink flowers that dance in the breeze from June to October. Its deep taproot makes it exceptionally drought-tolerant once established — ideal for the dry summers that are now the norm across our region.