Landscaping for Drought Conditions

Drought Tolerant Flowers, Herbs, Shrubs and Trees

by Lois Breneman, © Revised 2008, Heart to Heart

Written with the help of Carol Miller, a Landscape Designer in Pennsylvania, and a close friend of mine for years, was a great help to me in expanding this list.

Due to a serious drought conditions in many parts of the country over the past year or more, as the ground has thawed for spring planting, many of us are looking for more drought resistant plants.  No matter where we live, this is good information to know, so here are a few suggestions.

Carol said we should water new plants at least once a week during the first year, no matter how drought tolerant they are, until they are established.  Mulching also keeps the roots cooler and prevents the plants from drying out as fast.  One inch of water a week is good, unless you have a normal rainfall. 

Drought Tolerant Perennials for the Sun

Rosemary ~ Fragrant for in arrangements or potpourri 
Bee Balm ~ In the tea family ~ Make tea / eat the flowers ~ bees love it ~ can be invasive

Hyssop ~ pink, blue, copper ~ blooms July to Sept. (Also one with chartreuse foliage - "Golden Jubilee"
Iris ~ pink, blue, white, yellow, and there are also some rebloomers

Pincushion Flower ~ Comes in blue ~ easy to grow
Sedum ~ many varieties available ~ Some have flowers ~ easy
Day Lily ~ Many colors ~ yellow, pink, orange, white, red, peach
Candytuft ~ one of the earliest to bloom in the spring

Yarrow ~ Yellow, light and airy fuchsia which multiplies rapidly

Germander herb - mauve flowers - great for borders

Lamb's Ear ~Silvery and soft with tiny purple flowers ~ easy

Moss phlox ~ groundcover ~ pink, lavender, white
Lavender ~Use for potpourri and arrangements     
Cosmos    
Liatris ~ Tall with beautiful blooms ~ Bees love it    
Jupiters beard - pink, red
Russian Sage ~ Light, airy purple flowers                
Butterfly Weed 

Coneflower - white, orange, purple, burgundy        
Strawflower  

Penstemon - white, purple, pink and garnet            
Snow-in-summer

Guara-pink - blooms all summer                              
Tickseed ~ yellow, pink and burgundy

Dianthus ~ red, white, pink, varigated
Tickweed

Blanket flower ~ orange, burgundy                           
Black eyed Susan

Artemisa ~ Silvery with fragrance                            
Spiderwort

Wild Blue Indigo                                                          
Ice plant
Basket of Gold                                                            
Blackberry Lily
Shasta Daisy         
                                                    

                                                           

Drought Tolerant Annuals for Sun

Zinnia ~ Many colors  

Lantana

Statice

Cosmos 

Dusty Miller - can be invasive  

Nasturtium 

Marigold

Verbena 
Vinca ~ white, dark pink , purple, white, lavender

Globe Amaranth ~ Great clover-like flower for drying


Drought Tolerant Shrubs
Spirea ~ white, pink, raspberry
Potentilla-yellow, white, red   Flowering quince  
Cotoneaster-Franchetti    Nine Bark 
Barberry - burgundy and gold
Privet-gold   
Butterfly Bush

Drought Tolerant Trees

Russian Olive

Washington Hawthorn

Chestnut Oak

Jack Pine

Crab Apple

A LANDSCAPE DESIGNER'S ADVICE ON ORNAMENTAL PEAR AND PLUM TREES

Several years ago, after we had lost two fully grown Ornamental Bradford Pear Trees on two different occasions (a hurricane and later a heavy March snow), I asked my friend, Carol Miller, if there were other alternatives.  We had also lost a beautiful plum tree to disease. 

Carol Miller, Landscape Designer in Pennsylvania, advised us of two much stronger pear trees and a disease resistant plum tree.  Here is what she said:

The ornamental pear tree we have and love is the Chanticleer Pear Tree.  It isn't as wide as the other pears, but looks great at all times.  We have had that tree about ten years.  It has red wine fall foliage, and is about 35 feet tall. 

We also have the Aristocrat Pear Tree, which has yellow to red fall foliage and is 40 feet tall.  The Newport Ornamental Plum Tree is disease resistant and should be hardy as far north as northern Ohio.  That tree is 20 feet tall.