Dry plants: With the right soil, they survive periods of rain

Created: 10/05/2022, 10:00 am

By: Anna Katharina Kusters

Summers are getting hotter, which is why gardening fans are planting heat-resistant plants more and more often.

But what happens when the rain comes in autumn?

A good gardener must be prepared for all weather conditions to protect their plants.

This not only includes putting plants like tomatoes under a roof when it rains, but also adapting the selection of plants to the respective conditions.

Since long periods of heat are no longer uncommon, many gardeners rely on dry plants such as grasses or perennials, which do not mind hot weeks.

But how do these plants cope with rain in the fall?

Dry plants: With the right soil, they survive periods of rain

The sedum tolerates heat and moisture well.

(Iconic image) © Shotshop/Imago

Good news first: Most perennials that tolerate heat well can also cope well with rainy periods.

Even bitterly cold days and nights in winter are usually not a problem for the plants.

But of course these specimens also have to contend with extreme weather and gardeners can do a number of things to make it easier for them in the fall when it rains heavily.

The classic dry plants or heat-resistant perennials include:

• blue diamond

• steppe candle

• sedum

These plants have their origin in the steppes of North America or Eurasia, where hot summers, wet autumns and cold winters are part of it.

They are therefore robust, but do not tolerate waterlogging, for example.

Gardeners should therefore always ensure that the water in the beds can drain away quickly.

The soil must be loose for this.

This usually succeeds when the gardener mixes the soil with sand, gravel or other minerals before planting.

In the case of heavy clay soil, it is even worth laying a layer of gravel under the bed.

In any case, rainwater can drain off quickly.

In addition, the perennials should not grow in a depression in the garden, as more water can collect there than they can handle.

Dry plants: Mulch protects soil

In addition to loose soil, a layer of mulch always helps drain water away more quickly.

If the perennials are still young and have not yet spread over the entire soil, gardeners should prefer to use a light-colored layer of gravel when mulching.

So the floor does not heat up so extremely in summer.

In addition, West German Broadcasting recommends lawn mulch for dahlia beds, from which gardeners have to dig up the tubers in autumn.