Image credit: ‘Desert gardens’ featuring cacti and other succulents are being used at top shows. Photograph: Biswarup Ganguly/Pacific Press/Rex/Shutterstock

Okay, so the blog title is probably a bit extreme but there is an element of truth there. I recently read an article in The Guardian about the upcoming (July) Royal Horticultural Society Hampton Court show. Given that the show is during high summer and last year the gardeners faced multiple challenges with the plants (wilting plants, flowers blooming before the show, need for additional ventilation and shade), the show this year will “feature gardens using creative methods to mitigate against heatwaves… An RHS spokesperson said: “Whilst the heat did pose challenges, the designers managed to keep on top of it. The drought-tolerant gardens [this year] are a reaction to last year’s heat. Caroline and Peter Clayton, who designed a garden called Nurturing Nature in the City, have used drought-tolerant planting as a means to create more resilient gardens and to reduce the need to water.”

Checking out the Hampton Court show website, in addition to “America’s Wild” (which includes desert, forest, and grasslands) there is also an Oregon garden and a Charleston South Carolina one.

If your travels take you to the UK in July, you’ll have an opportunity to enjoy a sampling of US landscapes.