While it seems most of the people living around you spend their evenings watering gardens, you can simply enjoy the good weather on your porch with a drink. Your plants and gardening won’t need your attention to thrive.
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Check PriceThese drought-resistant perennials are actually designed to grow well with limited water supply, and once they are established, they help to reduce water usage by 40-60%. Not only that, they are so aesthetically pleasing, people will actually stop you to ask for your secret!
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Champions of Ultra Drought (Water Once a Month or Less)
Lavender goes from a stressed seedling to an aromatic powerhouse when you stop babying it. After the first year of growth, water your lavender every 3-4 weeks during dry spells. As a Mediterranean native plant, your lavender will actually produce more essential oils when it is slightly stressed.
When fully mature, the Russian Sage develops large clusters of purple-blue flowers. Water it once every 3 weeks after it has settled in, but keep in mind this plant's ability to survive multiple months without needing water.
Leaves of Sedum species act like little batteries by storing water. With their thick structure, they retain water and should only be watered every month, if that. They are champions at surviving, but being overly watered can kill them pretty quickly. Over time, they will spread and create beautiful groundcovers.
As established plants only need watering every 3-4 weeks, they have a deep taproot that provides moisture from significantly below the surface.
Moderate Drought Performers (Water Every 2-3 Weeks)
The Purple Coneflower (Echinacea) is more tough with each passing year and eventually can withstand dry periods of up to three weeks. Its sturdy stems require staking only occasionally, and goldfinches enjoy dining on its seed heads.
The Blanket Flower (Gaillardia) will flower continuously, again and again throughout the summer, and needs very little water. In fact, the bright red and orange flower petals will produce more blooms if allowed to dry out, which is an interesting trait for a flowering plant.
Lamb's Ear produces silver carpets that are velvety to the touch and can withstand neglect like champions. Water them every two to three weeks. Be sure to water them low as the fuzzy leaves might develop fungal issues from trapping water.
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The Artemisia varieties have nice silver foliage that looks good with a variety of colors. They like dry, sandy soil, and will sulk in rich and moist soils.
Heat-Loving Beauties (Ideal for Warm Weather)
The Prickly Pear Cactus is great for producing beautiful yellow or orange flowers, and also produces fruit that can be eaten. If you live in northern climates, try selecting the cold hardy varieties that can survive drought and freezing temperatures.
Matured Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia) handles drought and cold eventually. Hummingbirds love the coral and yellow flower spikes.
Rosemary can be used for two jobs, landscaping for dry areas and for cooking. The dry areas with rosemary help save moisture while the rosemary grows more fragrant.
With its striking steel-blue spherical blooms, the Globe Thistle (Echinops) attracts butterflies. It has a deep taproot, so once established, it becomes very drought-tolerant.
Campioni di Tuta Tutto Clima
Salvia species have amazing diversity in height, color, and time of flowering. Once established, most even need watering only every 2–3 weeks, and many will continue to bloom until frost.
Coreopsis is a low-maintenance perennial that produces bright yellow flowers all season long. For continuous blooms, deadhead regularly. In order to achieve the strongest drought tolerance, Coreopsis should not be fertilized.
The Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) creates large colonies that become more resilient to drought as they age. Their established deep root systems tap into water that is inaccessible to shallow-roots of other plants.
Blooming cycle can be repeated, especially when trimmed, Catmint (Nepeta) creates mounds of lavender-blue flowers. It will attract cats whilst repelling deer and rabbits.
Smart Establishment Strategy
Successful drought resistance starts with proper establishment in the first growing season. During the first year’s growing season, water vigorously to a depth of at least 12” once or twice a week so roots grow deep rather than spreading shallow to form the deep root systems that make these plants truly drought resistant.
The best time for planting is fall. This is because your plants experience cooler weather and natural rain which helps their roots establish before they are stressed by the hot temperatures of summer. If perennials are planted in spring, they also experience their first season’s stress and will require extra care but they will develop drought resistance just like the fall planted ones.
The Water Savings Reality
In summer months, 30-50% of household water is used on a typical suburban garden. Most gardeners see a 40-60% decrease in landscape watering by swapping thirsty annuals and perennials with these drought warriors.
If an average household spends $150 on the water bill each month in summer, then they potentially save $60-90 each month. Over the growing cycle of a decade, these plants, with each passing year, will require less maintenance and pay for themselves many times over.
