Building a lovely and healthy garden does not have to be a chore which is labor intensive particularly in places where there is limited water. Such landscapes consist of low-maintenance, drought-tolerant plants which, in a way, are the heroes as they can provide the beautiful views with little maintenance. Such plants do not just make sense because they are water-wise; they are usually hardy to pests and diseases and are thus perfect to those gardeners who are keen on spending less time on their outdoor space tending to these plants and more time relaxing.
This is the list of 10 most drought-resistant, easy-to-care plants to use in your outdoor garden and have a beautiful and sustainable garden.
1. Lavender (Lavandula)
Everyone who has a lavender hanging out in their windows knows that it is a classic for a reason, since it is the ultimate low-maintenance plant. It has silvery-green plants and a sweet purple flower spikes that creates a sense of peace and beauty. The lavender likes full sun and fertile yet well-drained soil and once established, lavender does not need a lot of watering. An ideal border or rock garden plant, or hedge of fragrance.
2. Sedum (Sedum spp.)
Sedum is famous as stonecrop, it is a great succulent that is almost unkillable. It has fleshy leaves that can hold water and make it able to go without rain. The sedums are available in all shapes and sizes including low-growing ground cover plants, and even taller plants that have late season varieties which are adorned with gorgeous flowers that attract bees and butterflies.
3. Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
This is an evergreen, rough and chipper decoration in any garden. Coneflowers continue to have daisy-like flowers that have big cones in the center area and they are so tough. When the roots systems are established they are heat and drought resistant and they will show color throughout summer into fall.
4. Lantana (Lantana camara)
Lantana is an overachiever in hot sunny places. It is a plant that flowers in clumps of colorful, multi-colored flowers with its flower loved by butterflies. It is very drought tolerant and flowers all year long, so it is a dependable, long lived provider of heat season colour.
5. Yarrow (Achillea)
Yarrow is a long-living perennial that has characteristic feathery leaves as well as flat flower heads. It is so extremely versatile that it grows well in full sun and poor dry soil. Yarrow also makes nice cut flowers and deer and rabbits dislike them.
6. Rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus)
This aromatic plant is an ideal case of the beautiful and useful plants. Rosemary is an evergreen shrub of woody nature and requires full sun and dry environment. It is an excellent hedge, a borders plant, or it can be grown in large pots, and even the leaves are edible.
7. Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
Russian sage is the go-to plant when one needs a touch of decadence and airy texture. It has scented, silver gray foliage, and has lengthy, gauzy spikes of lavender blue flower. This plant is hardy, drought and full sun resistant and needs very little care.
8. Gaillardia (Gaillardia spp.)
Although it is commonly referred to as blanket flower, gaillardia is a perennial sun loving plant with large daisy flowers in warm colors of red, orange and yellow. It is highly drought and heat tolerant and low-maintenance plant that is ideal in carefree garden.
9. Portulaca (Portulaca grandiflora)
It is a bright perennial and is also referred to as moss rose; it is an excellent plant cover in sun dry ground. Its juicy leaves, and blooms of gorgeous color, like roses, do best when the weather hots the most, so you will find it apt to bloom richest when other flowers are suffering. It is an ideal rock garden, as well as container planting plant.
10. Thyme (Thymus sp.)
Varieties of creeping thyme are a very good choice of a ground cover tolerating drought. This plant creates a ground cover of odiferous leaves which are also hard to tread upon. Thyme prefers lots of sun and well-drained soils and its small flowers are loved by the bees. It is ideal where you want to fill in between pavers or a rock garden.
