Clusters of white and pale green 'Annabelle' hydrangea blooms among dark green leaves.
Flowers such as hydrangeas require a lot of water. Photograph: Zena Elea/Alamy
Flowers such as hydrangeas require a lot of water. Photograph: Zena Elea/Alamy
New tool will help gardeners move away from thirsty English classics to drought-resistant plants

Exclusive: Garden Climate Assessment Tool will allow users to predict a plant’s response to the projected climate in a given location

“In the 20th century, we could pretty much grow the same things with confidence, we could learn from previous generations,” said Prof Sam Brockington, a curator at Cambridge University Botanic Garden.