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Some gardens can have problematic dry areas which might be caused by a number of things, e.g. it is surrounded by buildings/walls and or trees. Plus the soil can be very light and sandy.
In cases such as these the soil can be treated as 'sandy soil' or taken out of context for the area and treated as say a 'mediterranean garden' and planted up accordingly.
To do this creates another problem; i.e. What to plant in it?
The first thing that could come to mind is 'Mediterranean plants' which in itself might answer the question but then would they contend with the UK weather?
There are a number of drought tolerant plants that will fare reasonably well, plants such as; Acaena, Achillea, Bergenia, Cotoneaster,Eryngium, Euphorbia, Geraniums, Kniphofia, Lamium, Limonium, Miscanthus, Phormium, Salvia, Sedum, Sempervivum, Stachys, Strelitzia, Verbascum, Vinca and various herbs.
Many of these plant have natural adaptations to help them conserve water such as leaf hairs, succulent or aromatic foliage, and leaves that may be grey, narrow or small.
There are also a number of trees and shrubs that will survive hot, dry areas!
Plants such as Berberis, Broom, Ceanothus, Cistus, Lavender, Mahonia,Sarcococca, Spartium that once they have become established will tolerate such conditions.
Then there are the spring-flowering bulbs that grow, bloom, and die back before conditions dry out.
Then you could consider a container garden which would allow you to grow less drought tolerant plants and some less than winter hardy plants providing you can protect the container/s and their contents during frosty periods.
Aftercare;
As with all drought-tolerant plants, it is important to ensure they establish well: only then will they be able to find the water they need to survive an arid summer.
Plant in spring or better still, autumn, when conditions are more suitable.
Water the plant in well if the soil is dry, and continue during dry spells until it is growing strongly.
This can take a few years for some trees and shrubs.
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