Easy drought tolerant plants

July 28, 12:38 PMBackyard Living ExaminerJane Gates

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Sedum: succulents are easy drought-tolerant plants (Photo by Jane Gates)

Drought tolerant gardening or xeriscaping has become popular over the years encouraging plant hybridizers and nurseries to import and develop decorative plants of all descriptions to meet demand. You can actually have a ‘lush and luxuriant’ drought tolerant garden -- something that was once considered an oxymoron! You can find drought tolerant flowers, ornamental grasses, ground covers and trees. You can even find plants to flower at different times of the year, and a few that will flower for long periods of time. Many are very easy to grow.

Some of the most common drought tolerant plants are the colorful-leaved Euonymus, Photinia and the daylily in its many forms and colors. Euryops is a medium sized bush with big yellow daisies. The pink or white-flowered Rhapiolepsis shrub and the the Lily of the Nile (Agapanthus), a clumping perennial with big balls of white or blue flowers on a long stem are more easily found drought tolerant plants. Even the ever-present oleander can grow with remarkably little water. These common plants are often taken for granted since they are somewhat overused. But if you clump  them or use them for back drops for more interesting and unusual plants, they will fill in inexpensively requiring little care or water.

Then you can also consider trying some more creative selections for the rest of your drought-tolerant garden. If there will be no water other than what nature provides, consider Californian, Texan, Arizonan and Australian chaparral natives. Cactus and succulent gardens with rocks and boulders can be striking, too.

There is a whole selection of plants that can grow well with relatively low water from the showy Blue Hibiscus (Alyogyne), the floriferous Texas Ranger, the bizarre Kangaroo Paws (Anigozanthus), the colorful Gaillardia to the brilliant – but frost intolerant – Bougainvillea. Try some of the many graceful ornamental grasses that come in a wide range of colors or drought-tolerant trees like the colorful pink Silk Mimosa (Albezia) or the delicate Desert Willow (Chilopsis). All plants -- even drought tolerant ones -- do need water.  But you can avoid the water guzzlers and still have an exquisite garden.  Discovering plants that suit your taste and live in harmony in the environment can be as much fun as planting and enjoying your garden. And these are just some of the easier drought tolerant plants that can make gardening fun – even in times of drought!