In recent years, drought has started playing a prominent role in urban environments. Luckily, there are many drought resistant perennials available. These plants can develop deep roots or retain moisture in their roots or leaves. The perennials in this top-10 will hold up well under dry conditions in sunny locations.
These perennials are suitable for planting in dry soil:
- Limonium – sea lavender: An airy, late-flowering perennial Suitable for filling up border sections, but also as an airy filler plant among other plants.
- Origanum – oregano: Bushy groundcover. Also suitable for border planting and in edible ‘gardens’.
- Phlomis russelliana – Turkish sage: Excellent groundcover with exceptional longevity, thrives even in dry conditions where it may temporarily show a weakened appearance but will always come back to life.
- Rosmarinus officinalis – Rosemary: There are countless creeping varieties of rosemary available these days, which are very drought-resistant and wonderfully fragrant.
- Calamagrostis – reedgrass: Strong ornamental grass. Boasts a beautiful winter silhouette with its large open panicles that turn deep golden yellow. Can be used both as stand-alone and in groups.
- Pulmonaria – lungwort: A good clump-forming plant with striking silvery leaves. During periods of drought, this plant may look weakened, but it always recovers effortlessly.
- Sedum – stonecrop: Evergreen to semi-evergreen succulent. Sedum spectabile (sedum plant) deserves a special mention with its pretty pink flowers that work well in groups but also in mixed planting.
- Delosperma – ice plant: Colourful groundcover, can reach a height of around 10 centimetres. This compact succulent forms beautiful dense carpets.
- Salvia – sage: Versatile genus. Noteworthy varieties include S. microphylla and S. greggii with their bushy growth and prolonged and rich flowering until the first frost, in many colours.
- Nepeta – Catnip: Perfect filler with striking blue flowers and grey-green foliage. Will flower for a long time.
Tips for dry soils
- Add organic matter to dry soils to improve water (and nutrient) retention.
- Excavate any very poor soil and replace it with new, clean soil with higher organic matter content.
- There are also suitable perennials for dry soils in shady places. Your supplier can inform you about these plants.
