Heat brings dry summer woes

Warm weather is usually a welcome transition from the cold winter months, however it brings strong sun and hot conditions that can exacerbate dry spells, putting pressure on your garden plants. Prolonged dry spells lead to drought conditions where water is highly limited, pushing plants to experience stress which may lead to disease or complete desiccation in unmanaged gardens.

Even if you are regularly watering your plants, drought conditions can still impact your garden. Living in a city, drought can impact water usage as city restrictions will limit how much you can water your garden. Or you may be using well water to irrigate, however the fear of running the well dry may be on your mind.

Luckily, many plants have adapted to drought conditions and can be planted to avoid the inevitable dry spells. These plants will survive and thrive in even the driest summer weather, putting your mind at ease as you wait for the next rain shower to come.

What to plant to keep you garden vibrant?

Drought conditions do not need to be a garden’s dooms day if you plant the right plants. While there are many drought-tolerant plants to choose from, the following are particularly striking and interesting options to keep you garden a spectacle through even the driest conditions.

Purple Coneflower

Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a part of the daisy family and are naturally found growing along woodland edges or within prairie systems. Growing up to 4 ft in height, these bright blooms will show off in the driest conditions. They bloom in early to late summer with vibrant purple flowers.

Not only are these spritely flowers drought tolerant and visually stunning, they are edible and have a myriad of health benefits when dried and steeped as a tea. Their flowers are also long lasting and make a great addition to a bouquet or simply as a single cut flower in a dainty vase.

These perennials make a great addition to a walkway or driveway border. Or they can be established in a planter on your kitchen patio so you can use the flowers regularly in salads or as a part of your next afternoon tea with your friends.

Orange Daylily

Orange Daylilies (Hemerocallis fulva) are native to Asia however they have naturalized across North America. They spread rapidly through rhizome growth and can easily fill in areas to make an impressively robust mass planting.

Surprisingly, given their size and lush flowers, daylilies are drought tolerant and will survive through some of the most water restricted times. Additionally, the flowers of the Orange Daylily are edible! The blooms can be sauteed to make a delightful side dish - an added benefit of planting these drought resistant perennials in your garden.

Given their rapid growth and robust root structure, they are ideal for planting on slopes to prevent erosion. Plant along a fence line as well to add a buffer to the hard property line or you can plant them as center display in your garden. Their prolific flowering will not disappoint in any location.

Butterfly Milkweed

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) is native to eastern USA across to the great plains. It is a common and beautiful perennial that is easily recognized on roadsides in the early summer with its bright green foliage and vibrant orange blooms. The flowers are incredibly attractive to pollinators, particularly butterflies, as their common name indicates.

Once established, this Butterfly Milkweed will survive in poor soils, in the blazing hot sun without much need for water making it resiliently drought tolerant plant. They are persistent flowerers and will bloom through to the first frost.

While they are a common plant that you will find out and about, they are also a gorgeous addition to your garden. Reaching up to 3 ft in height, these vibrant leafy green and bright orange perennials can be added to an area of the garden that is prone to dry conditions or is of poor soil quality.

Blanket Flower

Blanket Flowers comprise a number of species that fall under the genus Gaillardia, many of which are native to North and South America. These charming flowers are extremely drought tolerant and strikingly beautiful with vibrantly contrasting daisy like flowers.

Blooming in mid-summer, these showy flowers will repeat bloom if deadhead straight through to the first frost. They produce disk shaped flowers with bi-colored petals that starkly contrast rich maroon toward the eye of the flower and a rim of bright yellow on the tips. These flowers are especially attractive to pollinators and will provide an important food source for pollinators during drought periods.

Easy to maintain and grow, Blanket Flowers are robust, boasting more than just drought tolerance. They are deer and rabbit resistant, pest and disease-free and salt tolerant. Plant these precious perennials as a garden border or to complement a larger shrub hedge in well-drained soils.

Plant with confidence and positive expectation

While this year’s hot summer has just begun in the US, do not be deterred by the dry weather to come. The options above will help to keep your garden a prized neighborhood delight regardless of rain showers, or lack thereof rather.

Shop for all of these drought tolerant perennials and more at TN Nursery.