Low-Water & Drought Tolerant Plants

Spring is here and we’re all ready to whip out our gardening tools and add beautiful plants to our yards. However, certain plants can be very high maintenance and could require a lot of care and water.

So what do you do if you don’t have a green thumb but want to add some low-maintenance plants? Low-water and drought-tolerant plants are a great way to add beauty to your landscape without all the fuss of caring for delicate plants.

Here are a few reasons to use low-water and drought-tolerant plants in your landscape:

They Use Less Water

Low-water plants have adapted to dryer climates allowing them to live off less water. The more low-water plants you have in your landscape, the less water you’ll use every month. This can offset some of your water usage in the summer months if you find yourself watering your lawn more, filling up kiddie pools, running sprinklers, and partaking in general warm weather summertime backyard fun.

They Are Low Maintenance

Drought-tolerant plants tend to be more resistant to pests and disease, which means you’ll spend less time pruning, deadheading, watering, and fertilizing plants. Using less chemical fertilizer is also more environmentally friendly and can cut down on the overall costs to care for your plants. And all of that time saved on maintaining your plants means you’ll just have more time to enjoy your yard!

Taking a trip to the garden center soon? Here are some low-water plants to look out for during your next trip:

Flowers

  • Begonia
  • Blanket flower
  • Summer Snapdragon
  • Ornamental Purslane
  • Lantana
  • Butterfly Bush
  • Dianthus
  • Globe Amaranth
  • Purple Coneflower

Perennials, Shrubs, and Ornamental Grasses 

  • Agave
  • Blue Hibiscus
  • Manzanita
  • Sagebrush
  • California Lilac
  • Geraldton Waxflower
  • Rockrose
  • Live Forever
  • Echeveria species (Hens-and-Chickens)
  • Island Bush Snapdragon
  • Grevillea
  • Lavender
  • Texas Ranger
  • Mexican Bush Lobelia
  • Penstemon
  • Rosemary
  • Blue-Eyed Grass
  • Verbena

Vines

  • Bougainvillea
  • Cat’s Claw
  • California Wild Grape

Ground Cover

  • Acacia redolens ‘Desert Carpet’
  • Dwarf Prostrate Acacia
  • Yarrow
  • Coyote Brush
  • Bearberry Cotoneaster
  • Ice Plant
  • Trailing Lantana
  • Myoporum
  • Stonecrop

Before you begin your next gardening adventure, check with your local nursery to see what would work best in your area. Happy planting!