When the affects of climate change take a stronger hold we can expect long periods of drought (this week's heatwave my be a taste of things to come). The canny gardener will not only harvest as much rainfall as possible but will also use water effectively in their garden.
I always water in the evenings rather than the mornings, mainly because I don't like getting up at 5am, but also because much of the water can be lost to evaporation. I also mulch with straw to keep the moisture in, and lawn clippings can be put to good use as a water-retaining mulch. Mulching also keeps at bay the weeds, which will compete with your plants for water.
You may have your guttering all connected up to water butts and are smugly reading this, or perhaps you don't want to fork out for a butt. In either case, a very simple method of collecting rainwater is to leave buckets, old dustbins or old barrels outside. These should be covered in dry weather to reduce evaporation and to discourage mosquitoes.
It is the container gardener that really suffers during drought as pots can dry out quickly. These should be moved into the shade on particularly hot days or if you are going on holiday. The parts of your garden that get the most sun will also need more water, therefore you should aim to plant more drought-tolerant plants in these areas.
It is doubtful that the UK will say goodbye to rain altogether, so good practice will be to mimic the Mediterranean rather than the Sahara. This means many of the herbs that we already love can still be grown. Lavender is a good example - some strains are grown in the Balearics, such as Lavandula pinnata. Rosemary also is heat resistant and drought tolerant and can be pruned to fit into even the most manicured garden.
Vegetables would not be the first on the list of the drought gardener, yet we don't have to do away with all edible plants. Consider beet spinach instead of normal spinach, try growing Jerusalem artichokes, and if you're in the south-east of Britain, chickpeas.
If it is beauty you are after then sea holly (Eryngium maritimum) is a sound bet. It is an ingenious plant well adapted to drought conditions: sea holly grows to about 30cm tall but its roots can spread over a metre downwards to look for water. It's a member of the carrot family, so its roots smell of carrots and can be eaten.
How do you harvest rainwater? Share your top tips for drought gardens below.