'Our drought garden has never looked better than in the heatwave'

Plants have been placed in sand and grit rather than soil

A garden in Leeds designed to require minimal or zero watering is "flourishing" in the recent heatwaves, according to its manager.

Water levels at reservoirs in Yorkshire are at a historic August low and the region's water company introduced a hosepipe ban in July.

The Sand Garden, which is planted with cacti and other species which require no water, was introduced at York Gate Gardens in Adel in 2023 and manager Jack Ogg said it had "never looked better".

The gardens were originally created by the Spencer family and were bequeathed to the Gardeners' Royal Benevolent Society, now known as Perennial, in 1994.

"If there was ever a year that proved the Sand Garden's worth, it would be this year," Mr Ogg said.

While the gardens are technically exempt from the hosepipe ban, he said they had tried not to use any mains water on the one-acre site.

Staff instead rely on a borehole at the bottom of the car park, which was installed four years ago, to water the nursery and plant sales.

However, Mr Ogg said many of the standard plants in the garden were "showing the signs of stress, wilting in the heat of the day, flowering earlier and growing shorter than usual".

Jack Ogg said his team were trying to avoid using any mains water on the garden this summer

In contrast, the Sand Garden had "never looked better", he said.

"All the plants have adapted to the harsher conditions 2025 has thrown at them, surviving only on the meagre rations mother nature has given them, no supplementary watering necessary," he said.

The garden is based not on soil but a combination of sand and grit.

"We've some really interesting plants in here interspersed with tender cactuses," he said.

"We plant them out in April, it's a painful job but it gives an amazing desert effect."

In addition to the Sand Garden, Mr Ogg said they had changed the plants they put in two large pots at the entrance to the gardens.

"We've put aloes and aeoniums and created a succulent display that only needs watering every two weeks or so."

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