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Xeric Plants
Xeric plants; make your choice from the common, and not so common. This list is small number of xeric plants that you can use in your xeric garden in addition to Sedum, Sempervivum and thyme that do well for me in my zone 5a garden. There are many non-succulent plants that have great drought smart attributes. Going back to the plants our great-grandmothers might have planted in their gardens gives an amazing variety of water wise choices. Hauling water long distances in a watering can gives you the impetus to find plants that not only survive, but thrive in challenging conditions.
Luckily, we have a wide offering to choose from, ranging from wildflowers to native plants and shrubs, to my favorite hardy succulent plants. Many of these are not only beautiful and easy to grow, but attract many types of wildlife, birds and insects too. Some Xeric Plants to Inspire You
Anthriscus 'Raven's Wing' - Purple leaved biennial that readily finds it's own place to grow, sometimes between cracks in the sidewalk. Rogue out any seedlings that have green leaves and keep the best dark purple ones. Umbelliferous white blooms attract many small bees and wasps to pollinate your other flowers.
Artimesia 'Silver Mound' - All of the artimesias are drought tolerant and tough. This one looks like a strong wind would blow it to smithereens, but it's not as delicate as it looks. The fine feathery foliage has the characteristic pungent smell of all artimesias. Prune hard in the early spring to promote lots of fresh growth.
Campanula carpatica - Lovely bell shaped blue flowers almost cover the whole tiny cushion of this plant. Many Campanula can live in crevices in cliffs, or even in cracks in a concrete sidewalk. They prefer a little bit of lime in well drained soil.
Campanula persicifolia - Peach leafed Canterbury bells is another example of wiry stemmed beauty. The delicacy of the stems and flowers belie the toughness of all of the harebells. These are just a few examples of Campanula, there are many others that thrive in rock gardens and other inhospitable environments.
Clematis species - Native clematis are definitely drought tolerant, as this one happily proves. The four petaled flowers show in early spring, before any other hybrid types have even got out of bed. Picture the whole top of the gazebo with the froth of blooms on it, turning to the seed heads like something from Dr. Seuss books.
Daphne cneorum (the 'c' is silent) is a funny plant. Once it's happy, leave it be, as trying to move it will kill it, and kindness will make it sulk. Put lots of lava rock mulch right over the crown, and then ignore it. It will reward you with blooms scented just like White Shoulders bath powder!
Echinops ritro - globe thistle as it's known is a thistle looking thing, but it's not prickly as you'd expect from the foliage, they're actually quite soft. The round blooms attract bees and turn a soft denim blue as they age. This plant will self seed, but not aggressively, and the seedlings are easy to relocate to a better spot.
Eryngium variegatum, the variegated sea holly is a tough plant for harsh conditions. Self seeding reluctantly, and resenting transplanting, this is never invasive or overpowering. The fact that it seldom reseeds makes it all the more interesting to design around it. Try to scatter seeds in several places to see which one meets with its approval.
Euphorbia polychroma - Like many of the Euphorbia tribe, this one has such good manners, you almost wish it would be more aggressive. When carefully divided, each clump will make a cheerful, bright zing of colour in early spring. The bracts (which look like flowers but aren't) are fluorescent lime green, which doesn't go with every colour scheme, but will combine well with orange or blue flowers.
Iris tectorum - Japanese roof iris, has lovely, pin striped pale green swordlike foliage, and gorgeous pale lavender blooms with striking dark purple bee guides. To me, the fact that it's slow growing is it's only drawback, as I can't ever have enough of this beauty.
Iris germanica is an old fashioned favorite, which comes in almost all colours of the rainbow, and some are fragrant. They have a chunky rhizome to store moisture, which should be exposed to full sun.
Iris pumila, dwarf iris, has blooms in many different colours, with blue grey foliage. Similar in appearance to the larger German iris, but much smaller and more compact in scale.
Ixiolirion pallassii - This bulb produces loose clusters of clear blue blooms which look like a lily in miniature. Very pretty, and a small clump will spread into a sizable field of blue, without becoming a nuisance. Dormant throughout the summer after the foliage ripens and dies down, so mark where it is and don't dig up the bulbs by mistake!
Lavendula, or lavender. Everyone loves the scent of the blooms when crushed between fingers. This is one of those 'evocative' scents that, once smelled in childhood, always brings back a flood of memories. For me, it's a visit to Anne Hathaways cottage when I was about seven years old.
Matricaria aurea is the golden feverfew, which has chartreuse lobed foliage covered in summer with gold centered white daisies. Crush the leaves for a distinctive pungent scent, supposed to keep flies away.
Oreganum species and hybrids - Oregano comes in several types some of which are more ornamental than others. Oreganum aureum, is of course, the golden oregano. All seem to hybridize freely and reseed in several forms. Very drought hardy, and beloved by bees and those of Mediterranean descent alike.
Penstemon come in many shapes and sizes, ranging from tall perennials for the border to miniatures suitable for rock garden growing. All have tubular blooms with lots of nectar which the wild bees just love.
Phlox subulata 'Candy Stripe' - Many Phlox subulata seem to have a death wish. A clump will be growing quite happily, or so it appears, then one spring you check on it, and it's a clump of dead sticks. Very disappointing. This one, Candy Stripe, seems to be able to overcome that weakness. Growing in tiny pockets of soil, the blooms will completely cover all the foliage. One downfall is the reversion that you can see happening, as the solid pink blooms show.
Pulmonaria, or lungwort, was named after lungs, as it was thought to resemble diseased ones. Sorry to wreck your appreciation for the plant! It's hard to believe the harsh hairiness of the leaves as they look almost glossy until you touch them. Arching sprays of blue and pink blooms emerge from amongst the leaves in spring.
Ratabida pinnata, or Mexican hat - small yellow daisy like blooms with a pointed cone in the center, just like a sombrero! Lovely slender growth which moves in the slightest breeze, and compliments the look of prairie grasses such as Andropogon gerardii.
Ruta graveolens, or rue, has the most unusual coloured leaves of blue green. The foliage is lobed and resembles maidenhair fern, and the delicate look belies its toughness.
Salvia 'May Night' and other spire like similar varieties are iron tough. Blooming consistently throughout the summer, they survive very sporadic watering. Bees love all sage blooms, and this one's no exception.
Salvia officianalis, or common culinary sage is another herb distributed around the world in medieval times. The pungent smell is loved by chefs everywhere, especially for combining with poultry or pork. As with many herbs, bees love it and visit steady throughout the long summer days when it's blooming.
Stachys lanata, or lamb's ears - this great plant reseeds itself along pathways, usually choosing areas that have lean soil with very little nutrient value. Lemonade smell when the plant is brushed against, and bees love it. Even though it re-seeds prolifically, the seedlings are easy to pull out where they're not wanted.
Please use this list in the spirit in which it is meant - as a guide in your quest for lovely xeric plants for your water wise garden. There are many others which have as much merit, and as I explore the vast uncharted territories of drought smart gardening I'll add them as I find them.
Still looking for something? Search the Web here:
go to Drought Smart Plants home page
go to Xeric Gardens page
go to Groundcovers for Xeriscaping page
go to Shrubs for Xeriscaping page
go to Xeriscape Design page
go to Plants for Bees page
go to Drought Tolerant Plants page
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