© Janet Davis

 

Water-conservation should be important to all gardeners.  Whether your perennial garden is located in a hot, dry location where the sun bakes the earth all day and rainwater is minimal, or you just want to keep irrigation at a minimum or not use the hose at all, there are many plants you can grow which, once established, will be perfectly happy with little water. 

 

Here are 30 excellent, drought-proof perennials or biennials – both native and non-native -- that will be easy on the water bill and give you loads of flowers from spring to fall:

 

 

  1. Anthemis, Golden Marguerite (Anthemis tinctoria)  A bushy, long-flowering perennial with masses of small yellow daisies through much of early-mid summer.  Plants might be short-lived but they self-seed easily.  2-1/2 – 3 feet (75-90 cm)

 

  1. Artemesia, Wormwood (Atemesia spp.)  Fabulous foliage plants with silver leaves that make a good contrast to more colorful flowering plants.  There are small ones (Silver Mound) for the front of the border and taller ones (Valerie Finnis) that look great in the middle of a sunny border or in a prairie setting. 

 

  1. Basket-of-Gold (Aurinia saxatilis)  This rock garden stalwart is superb on a dry hillside in poor soil.  With masses of golden yellow flowers or pale yellow (the cultivar ‘Citrinum’) on 12-inch (30 cm) plants, it blooms in early spring and makes a wonderful companion to catmint and creeping phlox, which flower at the same time.  See more on those plants below.

 

  1. Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) A native biennial wildflower easily grown from seed.  Puts out a rosette of leaves the first summer, followed by long-blooming, black-centered, yellow daisies on 2-3 foot (30-60 cm) stems the following summer, then sets seed and dies.  One of the best plants for hot, sunny sites and neutral-acidic, sandy soil.  Read more about blackeyed susans.

 

  1. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia spp.)  Gaillardia’s common name comes from the similarity of the red and yellow daisies to the colorful blankets woven by the Indian women living on the American plains from Illinois west to Texas where the plants grow.  State flower of Oklahoma  Lots of hybrids and cultivars including the new and exciting ‘Fanfare’ grow from 12 inches (30 cm) to 2 feet (60 inches) or taller.

 

  1. Blue Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)  This member of the mint family, also known as licorice mint, has tall lavender-blue flower spikes and licorice-scented foliage.  Grows into a well-branched plant up 3-5 feet (90-150 cm) tall.  A good tea plant and a favorite of bees – there’s even one called ‘Honeybee Blue’.

 

  1. Butterfly Weed (Asclepias tuberosa) This North American prairie native loves dry, sandy or gravely soil where it will grow over the years into a nice clump.  The foliage acts as a larval food plant for the Monarch butterfly, and the bright orange summer flowers on 12-24 inch (30-60 cm) stems are stunning little jewels in a meadow.  (I grow mine with Veronica  ‘Darwin’s Blue’, see below.)

 

  1.  Catmint (Nepeta spp.) With their lovely blue flowers and aromatic leaves, all catmints are drought-tolerant, whether the billowing spring-blooming Faassen’s catmint Nepeta x faassenii and its cultivars at 12-18 inches (30-75 cm) or the tall early-summer-blooming Siberian catmint, N. sibirica ‘Souvenir d’André Chaudon’, with spikes of large blue flowers on stems that can reach 24-36inches (60-90 cm).  Prefer slightly alkaline soil.  Cut back Faassen’s catmint after flowering ends to encourage it to re-bloom later.  Excellent bee flowers.

 

  1. Compass Plant (Silphium laciniatum) Striking in a meadow where the tall, yellow, daisy-like flowers are arranged around a stem that rises 5-9 feet (1.5-2.8 m) tall.  Not as drought-tolerant as some here, but worth planting.  A butterfly favorite.

 

  1. Creeping Phlox, Moss Pink (Phlox subulata)   Likes gritty, slightly alkaline soil.  Blooms in early spring with masses of tiny pink, lavender, rose-red, white or striped flowers in mats or tight cushions.  Shear back right after blooming.  Lovely with dwarf tulips and daffodils at the front of a border or in a rock or scree garden.

 

  1. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)  Most of the goldenrods are prairie natives, though a few like boggy soil. Choose carefully, as Canada goldenrod (S. canadensis) is much too invasive for most gardens.  S. rugosa ‘Fireworks’ (3-4 feet or 90-120 cm) is gorgeous, as is S. ‘Crown of Rays’ (2-3 feet or 60-90 cm).

 

  1. Globe Thistle (Echinops ritro) With its globes of spiky, ice-blue flowers on 3-foot (90 cm) stems, globe thistle is an exotic plant in the dry border.  A good flower for drying and, like most blue blossoms, a great bee flower.

 

  1. Indian Grass (Sorghastrum nutans) A tall (5-6 feet or 150-180 cm) prairie native grass with nodding, golden, plume-like flowers.  Rather invasive as a border plant but a good grass for a dry meadow and excellent for birds.

  1. Lamb’s Ear (Stachys byzantina) Soft and fuzzy, the oblong leaves of this plant make a great silvery foil to pink, blue and purple flowers, and the plant loves poor, well-drained soil.  Divide every few years to prevent the “hole-in-the-middle” look.

 

  1. Lanceleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata)  A native of the central plains and southeastern U.S., this willowy-stemmed yellow daisy with its ragged petal edges makes a brilliant contribution to a dry meadow or naturalistic border.  Grows 1-2 feet (30-60 cm) tall.  Deadhead to keep flowers coming.  

 

  1. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)  A beautiful evergreen shrub used as a perennial.  Has aromatic foliage and flowers which are held in vivid, blue-purple spikes.  Native to poor, rocky soil in sunny Mediterranean coastal regions, so loves well-drained soil on the alkaline side.  At a height and spread of about 2 feet (60 cm)  ‘Munstead’ and ‘Hidcote Blue’ are two of the best for cold regions, though a mulch is helpful in areas of poor snow cover.  Also watch for spring frost-heaving and press plants back into the ground if necessary.  Shear plants back in summer after flowering ends to keep them vigorous and mound-shaped or they’ll start to look straggly.

 

  1. Ox-Eye Sunflower, False Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides)  Easy, easy in almost any soil, and if it likes where it’s growing, it will self-seed like mad.  Native to southern Canada and eastern U.S. A good, bushy yellow summer daisy to 3-5 feet (90-150 cm).  Appreciates a drink but very drought-tolerant.  Lots of good cultivars available, many from the U.K. and Europe.

 

  1. Penstemon (Penstemon spp.)  My absolute favorite for the dry garden in early summer, the beardtongues comprise a large genus and many are not hardy in cold regions.  Of the tough guys,  I especially like a rich violet-purple one called Penstemon ‘Prairie Dusk’ (2 feet or 60 cm) and scarlet beardtongue Penstemon barbatus ‘Coccineus’ (2-3 feet or 60-90 cm).  Penstemon digitalis ‘Husker Red’ is also a good drought-tolerant perennial with white flowers and reddish leaves.  All are great hummingbird flowers

 

  1. Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa columbaria)  From a low mound of ferny foliage come tall, willowy stems (to 2 feet, 60 cm) topped with lovely, lavender-blue blossoms that butterflies love.  ‘Butterfly Blue’ is an award-winner and ‘Fama’ is a more intense blue; there are white and pink cultivars too.  Scabiosas are sparse-flowering but deadheading will keep blooms coming regularly throughout summer. 

  1. Red Valerian, Jupiter’s Beard (Centranthus ruber)  Often found growing out of chinks in the mortar of old stone walls in Britain, this one is 24-36 inches (60-90 cm) tall with dark-rose flowers from late spring through summer.  Self-seeds.

 

  1. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)  One of the most beautiful plants for dry, sandy soil in full sun, it is actually a sub-shrub that forms new stems and should be cut back in early spring  (I like to wait until green starts to show on the old stems) to about 6 inches (15 cm).  Blue flowers are extremely long-lasting from mid-summer well into September and grey leaves are aromatic.

 

  1. Sage, Salvia (Salvia spp.)  The sage genus is huge and varied and includes annuals, biennials and fabulous perennials.  Grow ornamental versions of  culinary sage like ‘Icterina’ or ‘Tricolor’ as front-of-border foliage plants, or choose from one of dozens of taller sage species, cultivars and hybrids with blue, purple, violet or white flowers in a perennial border.  Good choices are ‘East Friesland’, ‘May Night’ and ‘Blue Queen’, to name just a few.  Growing in popularity, and deservedly so.

 

  1. Sea Holly (Eryngium amethystinum)  Like a well-branched globe thistle, only with loads of miniature, spiky, blue flowers and metallic-blue, toothed leaves, amethyst sea holly is the hardiest of all the species. Grows to 24 inches (60 cm).   A seashore plant so doesn’t mind a little sand or salt.  Flowers are excellent for dying.  Tap-rooted so tough to divide, but will self-seed and new plants can be transplanted carefully when very small.

 

  1. Sea Lavender, Statice (Limonium latifolium)  An airy perennial with light purple flower panicles that looks a little like a lavender on steroids, this one is a great choice for dried-flower arrangers.   Grows about 18 inches (75 cm) tall and blooms from July well into September.  Likes sandy soil and must not have “wet feet” in winter.

 

  1. Sedum, Stonecrop (Sedum spp.)  From creepers like the aggressive groundcover, mossy stonecrop (Sedum acre), with its carpet of yellow blossoms and the captivating ‘Angelina’, to mid-sized selections like ‘Matrona’ with its dusky-pink flowers and dark-red stems, to big, robust ones like popular ‘Autumn Joy’ (18 inches or 75 cm), so effective with blackeyed susans and ornamental grasses, the succulent-leafed sedum clan offers a huge range of fabulous drought-tolerant perennials.   Great for butterflies and bees.

 

  1. Sun Rose, Rock Rose (Helianthemum nummularium) Sweet little potentilla-like flowers in peach, pink, coral or yellow on spreading, mound-shaped plants for the rock garden or cascading over a low stone wall.  Grows 6-12 inches (15-30 cm) tall and twice as wide.

 

  1. Switch Grass, Panic Grass (Panicum virgatum)  The feathery seedheads of this tallgrass prairie native add a lovely kinetic element to the garden as they sway about the slender leaves.  Grows 4-5 feet (120-150 cm).  I especially like switch grass with blackeyed susans in an all-native meadow, or with Russian sage in a sunny border.

 

  1. Thyme (Thymus spp.)  Invaluable creeping herbs for sunny, gravely soil.  With their masses of colourful blossoms and aromatic leaves – many excellent in cuisine -- the thymes are all excellent additions to the rock garden, between stepping stones in a path (many take light foot traffic) or in a hot and sunny herb garden.

 

  1. Veronica, Speedwell (Veronica spp.) Some of the veronicas are surprisingly drought-tolerant, especially spike speedwell (V. spicata) and its cultivars, and prostrate veronicas like spring-blooming Veronica peduncularis ‘Georgia Blue’.  Great for rock gardens, sunny banks.

 

  1. Yarrow (Achillea filipendulina)  This tall golden-yellow yarrow with ferny foliage will take any moisture level and work with it, as long as the site is in full sun and the soil is perfectly drained.  In rainy summers, it will grow very tall; in dry conditions, it will be more compact.  I love it with switch grass and tall Russian sage.  In the photo, above taken at the end of a rainy summer in my own country garden, these ‘Gold Plate’ yarrow plants located in moisture-retentive soil grew twice as tall as the ones in the sandy, fast-draining meadow nearby.  Divide every 3 years to keep plants vigorous.

 

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