Thursday, January 13, 2011

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.

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