How to Prepare Your Garden for a Year with Less Water: A Guide to Drought-Resistant Plants

Torrential rain, flooding, overflowing reservoirs… everything seems to suggest that in 2026 we are not going to be short of water.

But it will not always be this way.

Two years ago, we experienced a severe drought, with watering restrictions lasting for many months. And recent summers have broken temperature records.

That is why it is important to prepare your garden for periods of water scarcity.

Here we explain how to do it.

Put on your gardening gloves — let’s get started.

Key Steps to Prepare Your Garden Before the Hot Weather Arrives

If we are heading for another intense summer, it is worth preparing in advance.

Here are some practical measures you can take now to help your plants cope better with the heat.

Improve the Soil So It Retains Moisture Better

Soil rich in organic matter retains water more effectively.

When you add compost or mulch, the soil becomes looser and can hold moisture for longer.

You can add it at the end of winter or during spring, mixing it into the upper layer of the soil.

Mulching: A Simple and Highly Effective Solution

Covering the soil with a layer of pine bark, straw or shredded pruning waste can make a big difference during summer.

This layer protects the soil from direct sunlight.

As a result, the ground takes longer to dry out. It also helps protect the roots from the intense heat of the midday sun.

Group Plants According to Their Needs

Some plants need much more water than others. If you mix plants with very different watering requirements in the same area, it becomes difficult to give each one what it needs.

Ideally, plants with similar requirements should be grouped together. This allows you to adjust irrigation according to each area of the garden.

For example, a flower bed containing Mediterranean plants can be watered less frequently, while another area with more demanding species can follow a different watering schedule.

Check Your Irrigation System

Before summer arrives, check that your drippers are working correctly and that the water is reaching the right places.

Drip irrigation is a good option during dry years because it delivers water directly to the base of each plant.

It is also advisable to water early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is less intense. This allows the water to be used more efficiently.

How to Design a More Drought-Resistant Garden

The measures we have looked at so far are quick ways to help your plants cope better with hot weather.

But now we can go one step further.

When it comes to protecting your plants from drought, our approach is to tackle the problem at its source.

What do we mean by that?

Designing a garden that naturally requires less water. A garden where the choice of plants, the layout of different areas and the type of soil all work together to reduce water consumption.

This does not mean that you need to redesign your entire garden from scratch.

You can adapt and redesign what you already have. In many cases, simply reorganising flower beds, replacing a few water-demanding species or transforming part of the lawn can make the whole garden more resilient.

This is exactly what we do as part of our garden design service.

We adapt our recommendations to the characteristics of your garden and suggest small changes that can have a major impact on water savings.

Here are some ideas.

Replace Some Plants with More Resilient Species

If you have species that need constant watering, you can gradually replace them with plants that cope better with heat and lack of water.

This will reduce the overall watering needs of your garden.

Low-Water Shrubs

Lavender, rosemary and santolina are good examples. These plants are naturally adapted to heat and dry soils. They also bring fragrance and colour to the garden.

Mediterranean Plants

Many species native to the Mediterranean climate can withstand long summers and limited rainfall. They are ideal for gardens where reducing water consumption is a priority.

Ground-Cover Plants

Some ground-cover plants protect the soil and prevent direct sunlight from reaching the surface. This helps the soil retain moisture for longer and reduces the need for frequent watering.

Succulents

Succulents store water in their leaves and stems. This allows them to go for several days without watering. They are perfect for very sunny areas or rock gardens.

Reduce the Amount of Lawn

Lawn is one of the elements that consumes the most water in a garden. Maintaining a large green area throughout the summer requires frequent watering.

One option is to keep only the area of lawn that you actually use and transform the rest into flower beds with drought-resistant shrubs, decorative gravel or ground-cover plants that require less water.

Create Shaded Areas

A well-positioned tree can make a significant difference to a garden during summer. Shade lowers the temperature of the soil and helps prevent it from drying out so quickly.

You can also combine shrubs of different heights so that some plants protect others from direct sunlight during the hottest hours of the day.

Arrange Plants in Groups

When plants are grouped together in flower beds, the group itself helps the soil retain a little more moisture.

The shade the plants provide for one another, together with reduced direct exposure to the sun, helps keep the soil cooler for longer.

Ready to Prepare Your Garden for the Next Heatwaves?

Throughout this post, we have explained how to protect your garden during periods of drought.