Drought Smart Plants Blog

Create your Arid Eden with Drought Smart Plants.

Subscribe to the RSS feed by clicking on the orange button and keep up to date with all the latest information to create your xeric garden. Each new page and every update shows up here!

There are fun craft ideas using succulent plants (of course!) and rustic garden art inspiration.

You'll also find sustainable gardening tips, organic growing ideas and information on how to make a wildlife haven right in your backyard.

Still want more? Go to the Site Map for a list of every page on this site.

Sep 8, 2010, Rosularia - unique and rare hardy succulent plants

Rosularia look similar to Sempervivum except that they have bell-shaped blooms instead of star-shaped, and have the same kind of requirements; perfectly draining soil and high light levels.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Rosularia - unique and rare hardy succulent plants"

Sep 8, 2010, Pests - four legged or many legged - damage control without harm

Eliminating pests in your xeric gardens organically will give you a considerable advantage over other gardeners

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Pests - four legged or many legged - damage control without harm"

Sep 8, 2010, Jovibarba - amazingly hardy and beautiful gems for your xeric garden

Jovibarba, the other hens and chicks.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Jovibarba - amazingly hardy and beautiful gems for your xeric garden"

Sep 8, 2010, Driftwood and Old Roots

I love using found objects for planters - the funkier the better. Nature provides the most unique and wonderful things to plant into, like this gorgeous

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Driftwood and Old Roots"

Sep 7, 2010, Crevice Gardens - build your own vertical rockery, cliff garden or alpine scree

Natural crevices in cliffs and mountain peaks give protection to many plant species. Alpine plants grow happily in the sun warmed natural crevice gardens in a summer that can last only a few weeks.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Crevice Gardens - build your own vertical rockery, cliff garden or alpine scree"

Sep 7, 2010, Xeric Garden Insects - predators, pollinators and beneficials - countless allies

If you could count all the insects in a xeric garden, the number would be huge. I'm constantly amazed at the constant low buzz in my xeric garden on a sunny day.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Xeric Garden Insects - predators, pollinators and beneficials - countless allies"

Sep 7, 2010, Beneficial Insects - the secret army of friendly assassins

Beneficial insects in your xeric garden range from microscopic mites to gigantic dragonflies catching mosquitoes and other prey on the wing.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Beneficial Insects - the secret army of friendly assassins"

Sep 7, 2010, Rock Gardens - rockeries, cliff gardens & screes

Rock gardens can also be a display garden not only for your collection of plants but for those fabulous rocks and driftwood that seem to leap into the back of the car whenever you stop at a beach.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Rock Gardens - rockeries, cliff gardens & screes"

Sep 6, 2010, Bantam Roosters - small feathered packages of attitude

Apart from the obvious difference of size between regular backyard chicken breeds and Bantams, Bantam roosters have a few other characteristics that set them apart.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Bantam Roosters - small feathered packages of attitude"

Sep 6, 2010, Collecting Eggs for Hatching - proper care of eggs for best hatching results

Eggs that are collected for hatching need special care before incubating. Sometimes you have only one hen laying that you want to hatch out the eggs from, so it can take a long time to collect enough

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Collecting Eggs for Hatching - proper care of eggs for best hatching results"

Sep 6, 2010, Raising Chicks - a Bantam hen's career choice

Raising chicks, either hatched by you in an incubator, or by a broody Bantam hen is a great experience for kids of all ages.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Raising Chicks - a Bantam hen's career choice"

Sep 6, 2010, Grafting Chicks onto a Broody Hen - utilize your hens strong mothering urge

In one of mother natures many small miracles, you can graft a clutch of chicks onto a broody hen. A broody Bantam hen is a wonderful thing, but they are not very big.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Grafting Chicks onto a Broody Hen - utilize your hens strong mothering urge"

Sep 6, 2010, Candling Eggs - the secret life of a chicken embryo

Candling eggs can tell you two things; if the germ or embryo inside is alive and growing; or if the egg is dead.

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Candling Eggs - the secret life of a chicken embryo"

Sep 5, 2010, New Miscellaneous Succulents

New Miscellaneous Succulents for 2010

Permalink -- click for full blog post "New Miscellaneous Succulents"

Sep 5, 2010, Green Manure Cover Crops - soil conservation & mulch - the all-in-one benefit

Planting green manure cover crops is an excellent way to add organic matter to your garden fast, and this can be done while the crop is still growing or after harvesting, depending on the type of crop

Permalink -- click for full blog post "Green Manure Cover Crops - soil conservation & mulch - the all-in-one benefit"