Plants For Dry Gardens

Published: Thu, 10 Mar 2011 07:16:38

By: CL Fornari

By using the right plants, you can plant a beautiful garden that won't need supplemental irrigation.

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I hate hauling hoses, and I realize that it’s important for us all to use less water, so I’m smothering part of my lawn. The front of my property, like most yards, borders the road and was planted in grass. Turf needs irrigation, especially when it’s near a hot, asphalt road, so a few years ago I covered this "hell strip" with compost and mulch, and planted drought tolerant plants.

There are many plants that thrive without frequent irrigation and to find many of them we need only to look to our fields and woodlands. Drought-tolerant native plants can be planted together in a dry bed, or included in existing landscapes.

If you’re looking for a handsome, weed choking plant for dry shade, for instance, the white wood aster (Aster divaricatus) is the perfect perennial. This trouble free aster has bright green leaves, black stems and white flowers in early fall. It grows about 16 inches high.

For sunny gardens you can’t go wrong with goldenrod (Solidago species) and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa). Goldenrods have been falsely accused of causing hay fever, the true culprit being ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia). Goldenrods come in several heights and they bloom from mid-summer into fall.

Butterfly weed enlivens the garden in July with bright orange flowers, attracting equally colorful butterflies. This plant self-seeds when growing conditions are right, so it’s especially appropriate for gardens where plants are allowed to mingle.

Several species of Liatris are native to the Northeastern United States, including the New England blazing star (Liatris borealis) and Eastern blazing star (Liatris scariosa). These tall, spiky plants are also called gayfeather, and their purple flowers open in mid-summer. Great companions for Liatris include Sedums, Yucca, Baptisia and Lavender.

Native grasses are the perfect companion plants for the perennials listed above. Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) and little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) are two of most widely available grasses and attractive grasses for dry gardens. Switch grass grows between 3 feet and 5 feet tall depending on the soil, and little bluestem grows almost 2 feet high.

Dry gardens don’t need to be limited to perennials and grasses. Several shrubs and trees tolerate drought as well. Bayberry (Myrica pennsylvanica) is a plant that can be pruned to keep it shrub-size, or left to grow into a small tree. Bayberry is especially appropriate for those who have poor soils because it will grow in pure sand.

In my dry garden I also included two varieties of Physocarpus, our native nine-bark shrubs. Summer Wine and Coppertina both have purple to bronze leaves and small pinkish flowers in June. They add color to this border from spring through fall. The vigorous and long-flowering Coreopsis 'Zagreb' thrive in hot, sunny places as well.

If there is space for a larger tree, plant an oak in dry gardens. Red oak (Quercus ruba) and white oak (Quercus alba) are often overlooked as landscape plants because they are so common, but for a garden filled with natives, nothing is more appropriate.

Although all of these plants tolerate drought once they are established, they should be watered the first year after planting. Any plant’s ability to go without water for extended periods is only as good as the root system is wide and deep. Given regular water early on, you’ll have a landscape that can do without for the rest of its life.