Click below to listen to my 2 min. Garden Bite radio show: Drought tolerant perennials
While my area had some rain, still, it wasn’t nearly as much as the plants would have liked. There are some hardy, tolerant perennials I want to share.
Let’s begin with yarrow. One of my favorites for dry times and long lasting flowers. I have red yarrow now and it started flowering last week. Butterflies love to perch on it.
From ‘Moonshine’, with it’s silvery foliage and yellow flowers to red and pastels, these are easy and forgiving plants.
Beardtongue, aka penstemon, is a tolerant beauty. Flowers can range from bright yellow to red and pastel shades. If you experience flopping plants in hot or humid areas, choose a compact variety like ‘Gold Coin Dwarf,’ and plant in a sunny area protected from strong winds. Mine is called ‘Onyx and Pearls’. It’s lightly lavender flowers sit on nearly purple foliage. Tall and lovely, it is tolerating the dry soil! This is it’s first year.
Sedum is a workhorse in the garden and there are SO many choices. I have a number of them.
From ‘Autumn Joy’, a stand alone beauty that’s very attractive to Painted Lady butterflies, to a number of ground covers. It’s a showy sun-lover that defies drought, deer, insects, and diseases. WOW.
Coneflower is another favorite of mine. I have several kinds.
Unfortunately I don’t have all their names, but a couple of standouts include ‘PowWow Berry’ (far left in photo) and a double yellow that’s just adorable!
