Drought Tolerant Plants

• Junipers – grow naturally in many dry environments ranging from rock outcrops to sand dunes.
• Yuccas – do best if they aren’t watered (once established). They grow a long taproot and will be able to find all the water they need on their own. Yuccas look like a desert plant with their spiky, pointed leaves. They also have very showy 150 cm - 175 cm (5’ - 6’) tall flowers that appear in July.
   

• Honey-locust – is a shade tree that can withstand drier summers and a wide range of soil conditions.
• Turkish Hazel – not as well known, these are an excellent choice for drier sites. It grows 12 m (40’) tall, has a broad, pyramidal shape with interesting corky bark, and dark green foliage that turns yellow in October.
• Larger shrubs like the Russian Olive (mature height 7 m (23’)), Devil’s Walkingstick 5 m (16’), Sea Buckthorn 4 m (13’), and Sumac 5 m (16’) are suitable choices
• Smaller shrubs like Bayberry, Honeysuckle, Butterflybush, and Caryopteris are also good choices for a dry garden.
   

For continuous summer colour, plant:

• Celosia
• Amaranth
• Gomphrena
• Sunflower
• Zinnia
• Portulaca
• Gazania
• Dusty Miller (mix in to provide contrast with its grey leaves)
   

The perennial category can be divided into “moderately” drought-tolerant and “very” drought-tolerant. The first group includes:

• Artemisia
• Red Valerian
• False Indigo
• Daylilies
• Lavender
• Red-Hot Poker
• Russian Sage
• Thyme
• Marguerite Daisy
• Sea Lavender
• Wall Cress
• Basket-of-Gold
• Rock Rose
• Creeping Baby’s Breath Some very drought-tolerant perennials with succulent,
• fleshy foliage are:
• Prickly Pear Cactus
• Sedum
• Hens & Chicks (sempervivum)
• Purple and Yellow Ice Plant
• Donkey-tail Spurge
   

• Sea Thrift
• Butterfly Weed
• Gloriosa Daisy
• Blue Flax
• Liatris
• Edelweiss
• Blanket Flower
• Sea Holly
• Purple Coneflower
• Thread-leaved Coreopsis
• Blue Seakale
• Yarrow
• Perennial Bachelor’s Button
   

Perennial Ground Covers may be a practical solution if you are interested in replacing your lawn grass.

• Crown Vetch and Goutweed – will cover a large area very quickly but proceed with caution as these two ground covers are virtually unstoppable.
• Lamb’s Ears, Creeping Phlox, New Zealand Burr, Pussytoes, and Snow-in-Summer are suitable for smaller areas.
• Ornamental Grasses – are deep-rooted and suitable for xeriscaping. These include Mosquito Grass, Lyme Grass, Fescue, Blue Oat Grass, Oriental Fountain Grass, and Feather Grass.
• Big and little Bluestem, and Switch Grass (Panicum) are beautiful North American natives that get by on very little water.
   

To lessen the frequency of watering any part of your garden you need to:

• Incorporate a lot of organic matter like peat moss, manure, and compost into the planting bed. This will create a more fertile soil and the organic matter holds onto moisture making it available to plants for a long period of time after rain or watering.
• Cover the soil with 5 cm - 10 cm (2” - 4”) of mulch such as bark chips, cedar mulch, or cocoa bean mulch to minimize moisture loss through evaporation. The mulch also makes it more difficult for weeds to get established.
• For the first year, your xeriscape plants will need supplemental watering during dry periods.
• After 5 to 7 days without water, use a trowel to check the soil. If it is dry four inches down, water deeply.
• In the second year and subsequent you can let your plants go for 10 days to 2 weeks between deep watering (i.e. water needs to penetrate the soil to a depth of 10 cm (4”) to do any good).
• Water in the morning before 10 a.m. or in the evening after 6 p.m. This will prevent the water from evaporating during the hottest hours of the day.
• Keep the leaves of your xeriscape plants dry when you water them. Watch for signs of wilting or leaf