In recent years, our area has experienced severe drought. Some of our perennials have not been happy. Our Crew members weighed in on their favorite drought tolerant plants. Note that many native plants can often tolerate drier conditions.
Many ornamental & perennial grasses fall into the drought tolerant category with the exception of those more suited to shorelines and bogs. Check out Blue Grama ‘Blonde Amibition’ and Little Bluestem ‘Blue Heaven’. Click here for more information on reliable ornamental grasses.
Yarrow bloom from June into September in full sun. Their flowerheads are arranged in flat clusters that attract bees, butterflies and hummingbirds too. Yarrow is excellent as a cut flower and remains polite in the landscape. Heights vary from 14 in. tall to 24 in. tall.
Sedum are excellent plants in a variety of settings. They all prefer full sun but some will tolerate part shade including Kamtschaticum. We carry a variety of textures, colors and heights. Many excellent groundcover choices too.
Echinacea aka Coneflower are full to part sun plants that pollinators and people love. Blooming from July into September, their seedheads are also a favorite of finches and other birds. Leave them up for winter.
Rudbeckia hirta aka Black-eyed Susan offer native and cultivars of varying heights. All have yellow daisy-like flowers, most with a brown center with the exception of ‘Autumn Sun’ which has a green center. Blackeyed Susans are attractive to butterflies but no deer.
Hen & Chicks are very easy care. Great in rock gardens. Heights generally reach only about 4 in. with a 12 in. spread; however they reproduce easily. Hardy to zone 3, they will tolerate some light shade.
Daylily are easy, undemanding, high performing perennials. Once established they thrive in full sun and tolerate some shade but there will be fewer blooms. We carry a huge variety of colors and heights with bloom times ranging from late May into September.
Agastache Hyssop aka Anise Hyssop grows in sun to shade. It’s flowers and foliage are fragrant and smell like licorice. Blue-violet flowers bloom from July to September. With a height of 3 ft. and width of 2 ft., they make a wonderful middle-of-the-garden planting. They are also very attractive to butterflies and bumblebees.
Foamflower is a great shade plant. They have masses of beautiful spikes of lightly scented shell pink star-shaped flowers rising above the foliage from mid spring to mid-summer, which are most effective when planted in groupings. The flowers are excellent for cutting.
