Plants for Dry Places
Plants for Dry Places
If your yard happens to include areas that are especially dry, you may think your choices for what to plant are limited. Actually, even though there are hardly any plants that require dry soil, there are many plants that will adapt to those conditions and perform very well. Some plants have physical adaptations like fleshy leaves that help them thrive with less water. Other plants adapt from a young age by growing deeper roots.
Working with what you have is a viable option. There are plants suited to almost every situation. But often, we want to grow plants that aren't ideal. If their needs aren't too drastically different than what the growing conditions offer, you do have the option of making some changes. Dry soil can be amended by adding large amounts of peat moss, manure or compost. Amendments need to be mixed in with the existing soil, not just layered on top of it. Once the plants are installed, use an organic mulch on the surface. Organic mulches such as wood bark reduce evaporation and runoff as well as cool the soil. It also helps to make sure the area is thoroughly soaked when it is watered. This will encourage deep rooting. Keep in mind that while you can take some steps that will allow you to grow more plants in a dry area, it is difficult to totally change an area.
Check through the following lists for plants that will do well in your specific situation. Be sure to take into consideration how much sun or shade the plants will receive.
Perennials for Sunny and Dry
Yarrow Achillea
Bugloss Anchusa
Pussy Toes Antennaria
Rock Cress Arabis
Sea Thrift Armeria
Wormwood Artemesia
Butterfly Weed Asclepias
Basket of Gold Aurinia
Cupid's Dart Catananche
Snow in the Summer Cerastium
Feverfew Chrysanthemum parth.
Threadleaf Coreopsis Coreopsis vert.
Carnation Dianthus
Coneflower Echinacea
Globe Thistle Echinops
Daisy Fleabane Erigeron
Meadowsweet Filipendula
Blanket Flower Gaillardia
Baby's Breath Gypsophila
Daylily Hemerocallis
Gayfeather Liatris
Flax Linum
Some Ornamental Grasses
Catmint Nepeta
Beardtongue Penstemon (all but Husker Red)
Russian Sage Perovskia
Creeping Phlox Phlox subulata
Black-eyed Susan Rudbeckia
Soapwort Saponaria
Autumn Joy Sedum Sedum
Goldenrod Solidago
Tansy Tanacetum
Spiderwort Tradescantia
Verbena Verbena
Adam's Needle Yucca
Perennials for Shady and Dry
Pearly Everlasting Anaphalis
Bearberry Arctostaphylos
Lady's Mantle Alchemilla mollis
Lily of the Valley Convallaria
Barrenwort Epimedium
Cransebill (some) Geranium
Hosta Hosta
Grape Hyacinths Muscari
Japanese Spurge Pachysandra
Lungwort Pulmonaria
Lamb's Ears Stachys
Periwinkle Vinca Vinca
Annuals for Sunny and Dry
Pot Marigold Calendula
Bachelor's Button Centaurea
Cosmos Cosmos
Gazania Gazania
Globe Amaranth Gomphrena
Lantana Lantana
Sweet Alyssum Lobularia
Love-in-a-Mist Nigella
Geraniums Pelargonium
Moss Rose Portulaca
Mexican Sunflower Tithonia
Vinca Vinca
Threadleaf Zinnia Zinnia angustifolia
Trees and Shrubs for Shady and Dry
Amur Maple Acer ginnala
Bush Honeysuckle Lonicera
Alpine Currant Ribes
Yews Taxus
Trees and Shrubs for Sunny and Dry
Amur Maple Acer ginnala
Norway Maple Acer platanoides
Barberry Berberis
Hackberry Celtis
Smokebush Cotinus
Russian Olive Eleagnus
Ash Fraxus
Ginkgo Ginkgo
Honeylocust Gledista
Coffeetree Gymnocladus
Juniper Juniperus
Ironwood Ostrya
Potentilla Potentilla
Alpine Currant Ribes
Sumac Rhus
Black Locust Robinia
Tamarisk Tamarisk
Yews Taxus
Elms Ulmus
Recommended Products
Bachman's-Grown Quality Plants
Packaged Soil Amendments
Organic Mulches and Fertilizers
Quality Gardening Tools and Gloves
Books and Information Sheets
© Bachman's 2008
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