In my experience a lot of Mediterranean and Continental plants do well with a wet cool winter and hot dry summer. Think classic English garden plants. Also plants from other Mediterranean climates, like the west coast of the U.S. (California, Oregon, Washington). It depends on your garden conditions, of course: we have several feet of clay in much of our garden, which is ideal, while plants that grow in sandy soil, or that don't have a good depth of soil to get their roots down into, might be much less drought tolerant. A mulch, of organic matter or living small plants or a combination of the two, is very important. I try to get my plants in the ground in the fall, after the weather has started to cool down, and finishing planting by Christmas. This gives the plants time to get established before the summer drought. And we water the first year. Finally, plants have to be in the conditions appropriate for them. With all these caveats, plants that do well for me are:
Old and species roses, herbaceous and tree peonies, all native plants that grow in my area, spring-flowering bulbs, agapanthus, bearded iris, forsythia, privet, lilac, European honeysuckles, kerria, mahonia, cotoneaster, snowball bush, spirea, laburnum, symphoricarpos, sarcococca (in shade), Daphne odora (in shade), heuchera, hellebores (all in shade), aromatic gray-foliaged plants like lavender, rosemary, sage, phlomis, caryopteris. And more, but I'm running out of breath.
I've been gardening here since 2003 and been through regular summer droughts without watering, and most plants come through them without trouble. It may be important to leave the soil undisturbed after the initial preparation.
Melissa
P.S. It's still raining today, wonderful!!
