If you have emerged from summer-break to find that many of your plants resemble burnt offerings, then perhaps, now is the time to think seriously about creating your own gravel garden, with plantings that can stand up to the cruel furnace.
The low-maintenance-character of gravel gardens and their rewards conceivably will make them more and more all-the-rage, as gardeners encounter the embryonic burden of climate change.
Lawns drink copious amounts of water so perhaps this is a good place to start by replacing a fatigued lawn with a gravel garden.
Or, if you have a border that is more susceptible to being affected by the summer's heat then this could be replaced - either-or will do as a start and will convey a Mediterranean-atmosphere.
By and large, gravel gardens are best in full sun, for this satisfies most drought-tolerant plants' needs.
As with starting all new gardens, it is essential to double-dig the area to the depth of two spits (one spit equals the depth of a garden spade, around 30cm).
Feed the bottom spit by laying down approximately 8cm of animal manure and mix it in well, using a large garden fork.
Then return the top soil and mix this, again, with 8cm of animal manure. Integrating well-rotted animal manure will help retain moisture and thus lessen the need for water, particularly on dry arenas.
Authentic gravel gardens are situated on gravely or sandy soil, so you are off to a fine start with your Bahrain's sandy garden soil. If your soil is clay - which is the case with "some" areas of Bahrain - then incorporate gravel or grit to your soil.
The most appropriate plants for a gravel garden set in full sun are drought-tolerant and desire a free-draining, comparatively low-nutrient soil, which aids in thwarting more-spirited plants from asphyxiating the unhurried ones.
A good idea - that's if you are not planning to sow seeds at site - is to put down some landscape fabric and cut holes scarcely large enough to plant each root-ball.
Ensure that the plants sit proud of the ground to enable you to surround their crowns with gravel without submerging them.
It is essential that you do not plant too closely, for you need to allow space for the plants to spread and leaving discernible areas of gravel for a good-looking finish.
Once planted, give the plants a thorough dowsing of water and keep them watered in their initial season until they are well established.
Once well-drained, then mulch the arena with 5-7.5cm of gravel or - a better idea - a layer of compost or straw followed by the gravel, which will preserve moisture while the plants settle into their new home.
Some of Bahrain's garden centres sell different-sized gravel: fine grades are 10mm or smaller, larger chunks are 20mm or larger.
Large-grade gravels, especially if they are angular shaped, are user-friendly, being easier to walk on than the rounded pea-shingle, which one's feet swim around in and one's shoes quickly become filled with.
In addition, the large-pebbled grades deter cats from unsolicited practices. If you desire acid-loving plants then it is imperative that you do not use limestone-chippings.
Bear in mind, that a 25kg bag of gravel will blanket a section of 0.6 square metres, to a depth of 5cm.
I know that in England gravel can be purchased by the truck-load thus making your venture less expensive.
In addition a variety of colours can be purchased.
I know too, that Janusan Exotics Garden Nursery sells gravel as does Nass Landscaping. If you can't find what you want, I'm sure that they would be only too happy to oblige and order the grade and colour you so desire.
The bulbous, spring flowering freesias have a sweet-smelling-bouquet and are wonderful in a gravel garden.
Kniphofia with red-hot-pokers or hot-yellow pokers give structure. And veils of various grasses offer a soft, see-through-glow.
The annual Osteospermum in glowing-white-rays and seriously, ink-back-hearts bask in such environments.
Do try a Ceanothus shrub or climber. This is a trophy I brought back from England with sapphire-blue flowers.
The shrubby Cordylines give a perpendicular-structural-effect as do Yuccas. Alliums simply sunbathe in dry hot conditions and take on a spunky style.
Papavers add wands of softness in all the shades of reds, pinks, yellows, oranges, creams and pristine white.
Sedums are a classic choice and there is a phenomenal array from which to choose. Many of these succulent plants are grown for their ornamental leaves, while others are cultivated for their starry five-petalled flowers, still others coalesce engaging flowers and endearing leaves; for instance, the yellow flowering Sedum rubrotinctum - the jellybean plant - with glistening leaves that turn red, yellow and pink when conditions are dry or cold.
Achillia is an herbaceous perennial and is vividly coloured. It is hailed as one of the most rewarding of flowering perennials - easy to grow and adaptable to many garden styles and situations.
The cool-silvery-toned-leaves of Lavandulas and their cool-flowers in pinks, mauves, white and all the blues possess - as do their leaves - a come-smell-me-scent and are a must in the gravel garden to cool-down the atmosphere.
Salvias galore are at your feet just waiting to play their part in your gravelled arena. As too are Salvias. No gravel garden should be without the galactical rays of Gazanias.
Portulaca will spread its wings, nicely hugging the gravel. But as these are terminal bloomers they really need taming-in at times, otherwise they will runaway with themselves.
Try the perennial "Cosmos chocolate", for its whiff truly is reminiscent of a chocolaty aroma.
The annual carroty-orange sundials of Santolina will offer a warm glow; and Thymus will give you a choice of over 300 species together with their cultivars and hybrids.
I hope that you give a gravel garden a try; they are such a neat and desirable feature for any garden.
