Last Monday I posted a list of plants that are adapted to moist soils… so of course I received questions from gardeners who wondered if I could produce a similar list, but of drought-tolerant plants, also known as xerophytes. Well, as always, your wish is my command! What follows is a list of plants adapted to dry conditions.
Note that this text is written primarily for gardeners in the Northeastern United States and Eastern Canada, in other words a fairly moist climate, never truly arid, but where plants can still suffer from lack of moisture for various reasons, such as:
- Soil that drains excessively (sandy or rocky soil);
- Steep slopes that rainwater has difficulty penetrating;
- Prolonged periods without rain;
- Spots, like under a roof overhang, that naturally receive little rain;
- etc.
It would also be quite adapted to most European gardening conditions.
To learn more about gardening in a truly arid climate, however, like Arizona or Australia, you’ll have to find another source of information. I’m afraid that is beyond my expertise.
Some Xerophytes to Try
If drought problems haunt you every year or if you find yourself caught up in a cycle of endless watering, here are a few plants that should survive all but the worst droughts without your needing to step in:
- Acer saccharinum (silver maple) zone 2
- Achillea filipendulina (fernleaf yarrow) zone 3
-
(woolly yarrow) zone 3
- Aegopodium podagraria (goutweed) zone 3
- Anaphalis margaritacea (pearly everlasting) zone 2
- Anthemis tinctoria (golden marguerite) zone 3
- Arctostaphylos uva-ursi (bearberry) zone 2
- Arctotis spp. (African daisy) annual
- Armeria maritima (sea thrift) zone 3
- Artemisia spp. (mugwort, wormwood) (silvery leaved species) zones 2 to 8, depending on species
- Asclepias tuberosa (butterfly weed) zone 5
- Aurinia saxatilis, syn. Alyssum saxatile (basket of gold) zone 3
-
Baptisia australis (blue false indigo) zone 4
- Berberis thunbergii (Japanese barberry) zone 4
- Calendula officinalis (pot marigold) annual
- Caragana arborescens (Siberian peashrub) zone 2
- Catharanthus roseus (Madagascar periwinkle) annual
- Celtis occidentalis (common hackberry) zone 3b
-
Centaurea cineraria (dusty miller) annual
- Centaurea cyanus (bachelor’s buttons) annual
- Cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer) zone 2
- Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oat) zone 5
- Convolvulus tricolor (dwarf morning glory) annual
- Coreopsis tinctoria (Plains coreopsis) annual
- Cosmos bipinnatus and C. sulphureus (cosmos) annual
- Cotoneastre spp. (cotoneaster) zones 3 to 9
- Deschampsia caespitosa (tufted hair-grass) zone 3
- Dimorphotheca spp. (African daisy) annual
-
Elaeagnus angustifolia (Russian olive) zone 2b
- Elaeagnus commutata (silverberry) zone 1b
- Eschscholzia californica (California poppy) annual
- Euphorbia marginata (snow on the mountain) annual
- Festuca spp. (blue fescue) zone 4
- Gaillardia spp. (gaillardia, blanket flower) annual or zone 3
- Gazania spp. (gazania, treasure flower) annual
- Ginkgo biloba (ginkgo, maidenhair tree) zone 4
- Gleditsia triacanthos (honeylocust) zone 4
- Gomphrena globosa (globeflower) annual
- Hakonechloa macra (Japanese forest grass) zone 5
- Hemerocallis spp. (daylily) zone 3
-
Inula racemosa (elecampane) zone 4
- Juniperus spp. (juniper) zones 1 to 7
- Kniphofia spp. (tritome) zone 6
- Lavandula angustifolia (lavender) zone 5
- Liatris spp. (blazing star) zone 3
- Limonium platyphyllum (sea lavender) zone 3
- Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum) annual
- Lonicera spp. (honeysuckle) zone 2
- Lychnis coronaria (rose campion) zone 3
- Mahonia spp. (Oregon grape) zones 5 to 9, depending on species
- Mirabilis jalapa (four o’clock) annual
- Miscanthus sinensis (maiden grass) zones 4-5
-
Molinia caerulea (purple moor-grass) zone 4
- Nierembergia hippomanica (cup flower) annual
- Onopordium acanthum (scotch thistle) zone 4
- Opuntia spp. (prickly pear) zones 3 to 9, depending on species
- Osteospermum spp. (African daisy) annual
- Pennisetum alopecuroides (fountain grass) zone 5
- Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian sage) zone 4b
- Phalaris arundinacea ‘Picta’ (ribbon grass) zone 4
- Phlox subulata (moss phlox) zone 3
- Portulaca grandiflora (portulaca) annual
- Potentilla fruticosa (shrubby cinquefoil) zone 2
-
Ratibida spp. (prairie coneflower) zone 3
- Rhus typhina, R. glabra (staghorn sumac) zone 3
- Robinia pseudoacacia (black locust) zone 4b
- Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose) zone 3
- Rosmarinus officinalis (rosemary) tender aromatic herb
- Salvia spp. (salvia) annual or zones 3 to 10, depending on species
- Sanvitalia procumbens (creeping zinnia) annual
- Sedum spp. (sedum) zones 2 to 10
- Senecio bicolor (dusty miller) annual
- Shepherdia argentea (silver buffaloberry) zone 2
- Sporobolus heterolepis (Prairie dropseed) zone 3
-
Stachys byzantina (lambs ears) zone 3
- Syringa vulgaris (common lilac) zone 2b
- Tamarix spp. (tamarisk) zones 3 to 9
- Thymus spp. (thyme) zones 3 to 8, depending on species
- Tithonia rotundifolia (Mexican sunflower) annual
- Yucca filamentosa (Spanish bayonet) zone 6
- Yucca glauca (soapweed yucca) zone 3
Xerophytes Need Some Water
… at planting time. Even plants said to be drought-resistant need to be watered until they are well established. It’s only when their roots are fully developed that their drought resistance kicks in. For fast-growing xerophytic annuals, that may mean only watering once or twice early in the season, but for other drought-resistant plants, it’s best to treat them like any other plant the first year, watering them thoroughly whenever their soil dries out. From the second year on, however, you can free yourself from all work and let them grow as they please!
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