J'arrose ? Guides

Guides to water wisely

Drought-resistant plants and lawns: a garden that is less thirsty

Published on November 10, 2026

The other guides help you water better. This one helps you need less water: a suitable plant, once well established, gets through the summer without watering, even when the decree bans it. Resistant does not mean indestructible: a very long drought eventually marks every plant, but these ones hold out much longer.

Recognising a plant that copes with drought

  • Silver or grey-green leaves: their pale colour reflects part of the sunlight.
  • Leaves covered in fine hairs, which hold moisture around the plant.
  • Small, thick or fleshy leaves, like those of stonecrops, which store water.
  • Deep roots, which reach water far below the surface.

Many come from around the Mediterranean, but not only: many wild plants of France also cope very well with drought.

A plant's resistance also depends on your soil and your climate: the same plant does not last as long without water in every garden.

Planting at the right time

The secret is to water properly in the first year so that you no longer need to afterwards.

  • Choose small plants: they adapt to their new spot faster than large specimens.
  • In the south of France and in well-drained soil, plant in autumn: the roots make the most of the winter rains and are in place before the first summer.
  • In the north, the east and in heavy soil, plant hardy shrubs and perennials in autumn, but wait until spring (March–April) for grey-leaved Mediterranean plants: they cope badly with a cold, waterlogged winter before they have rooted.
  • Water in the first year: generously at planting, then in dry spells when the decree allows it. Trees and large shrubs may need it for up to three summers.
  • No fertiliser: it produces soft growth that flops in summer and is vulnerable to frost.
  • Mulch: mulching keeps moisture in; for Mediterranean plants, a gravel mulch suits them better than organic matter.

Planting in autumn has another advantage: in summer, restriction decrees often ban watering flower beds. The national guide only provides an exemption, at night, for trees and shrubs planted less than two years ago (see Understanding restriction levels). A perennial planted in June may not survive the summer.

Which plants to choose

All of these are grown in France. Many even grow wild there.

Full sun, dry and well-drained soil

  • Small shrubs: lavenders, cotton lavender (santolina), rock rose (helianthemum), wild thyme.
  • Perennials: Mediterranean spurge, sea hollies, globe thistles, stonecrops, sea thrift, spiked speedwell, catmint, yarrow.
  • Grasses: quaking grass, giant feather grass.

Hedges and large shrubs, hardy almost everywhere: hawthorn, wayfaring tree, purging buckthorn, whitebeam, common broom, abelia. The strawberry tree suits regions with mild winters.

Dry shade (under trees, at the foot of a wall): wood spurge, stinking iris, butcher's broom, lesser periwinkle, bergenia, ivy.

Climbers: ivy, common jasmine.

Do not plant pampas grass, despite its drought resistance: it is an invasive alien species regulated in France, and buying, selling, planting and even keeping it are banned.

In clay soil, Mediterranean plants often suffer more from water standing in winter than from summer drought: good drainage matters as much as the choice of plant.

A lawn that copes with summer

  • Accept that it turns yellow: an established lawn goes dormant during a drought and usually greens up again with the autumn rains. Mow higher in summer and leave the clippings on the lawn (see the mulching guide).
  • Choose more resistant grasses: to sow or overseed, prefer a mix rich in fescues, which are more robust in drought. The best time to sow or overseed is late September.
  • Add dwarf white clover (or micro-clover): it copes with drought and fixes nitrogen from the air, so it stays green without watering or fertiliser, and its flowers feed pollinators. No need to dig up the lawn: you sow it into the existing grass. It needs moisture to establish: sow before a rainy spell and water if the first year is dry, when the decree allows it. It can turn brown in winter and copes less well with heavy foot traffic than grass.
  • Replace part of the lawn: on a small area with little foot traffic, a drought-tolerant ground cover such as wild thyme replaces grass. An area left as meadow, mown rarely, does not need watering and welcomes flowers and insects.

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