Inspiration for Gardens That Can Stand the Heat

As we continue to break heat records in many different regions around the world, gardeners have to think more than ever about how they can create gardens that can stand the heat.

Gardening for extreme temperatures is not just about adapting to changing climates. It is about working to mitigate the effects of extreme heat through careful design and through the various different choices we make in a garden.

As a permaculture designer, understanding how plant choices and design decisions can increase the resilience of a garden in extreme heat is important. I thought I would share a few examples that illustrate some of the strategies that can be used. Perhaps these ideas will give some inspiration to help others beat the heat in their own gardens.

One major thing that we need to do to create gardens that can stand the heat is to make the right plant choices.

Plants that are native to arid or semi-arid settings can often be good choices for high-heat situations as well as just dry ones. Understanding plants is important because this allows us to find ones best suited to particular locations in our particular gardens.

In extreme heat, plants lose more water. Some plants have specific adaptations which enable them to hold onto water more effectively during hot conditions.

Regardless of water availability, heat tolerance is another plant characteristic. Some plants can cope with heat better than others. So while in temperate climates, we may be more familiar with plant hardiness in winter, we also increasingly have to look at hardiness against summer heat too.

Often, we can use native plants, as these are best adapted to the conditions found in a particular location. But sometimes, as our climates warm, we might turn to