How to Choose Drought-Tolerant Plants for Your Landscape

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By DenaEBolton
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Drought-tolerant daylilies and coneflowers

As more of us are going green and trying to conserve our natural resources while saving money at the same time, many of us gardeners are choosing drought-tolerant plants for our landscapes. A drought-tolerant landscape uses much less water, which can save you a lot of money. It can also require less work in terms of time spent watering. Finally, an easy-care, drought-tolerant landscape can add lots of beauty and color to your landscape. Drought-tolerant plants are not just cacti. There are numerous varieties of plants that will fit well into your landscape.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Choose perennials. Not only will you not have to replace perennials every year as you do annuals, they also tend to be more drought-tolerant than lots of annuals. This is due to the fact that they more often than not have deeper roots that drink in and store water.
Step 2

Choose native plants. Native plants have adapted over time to your particular growing zone and climate. This means that they tend to be more drought-tolerant and hardier.
Step 3

Choose plants that are particularly known to be drought-tolerant. There are numerous varieties of plants that are specifically drought-tolerant and actually prefer less water. A few of these types of plants include: daylilies, coneflowers, artemisia, and sedums.

Tips & Warnings

Deeper and less frequent watering is best for these types of plants. Water for at least 20 minutes about once a week. You want the plants to get about an inch of water. Shallow watering equals development of shallow roots.
Drip watering systems will help to conserve water.
Always remember -- "The right plant in the right place."
Before purchasing any plant, make sure that it is hardy in your climate zone.
Not all perennials are drought-tolerant. Be sure to check their water needs.

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