I'm wondering if anyone has any suggestions for plants you've had experience with that can withstand very dry summers. I prefer shorter neater plants that don't flop all over. They can be perennial or annual. Thanks.
Not knowing your hardiness zone, some of these might be considered annuals where you are. I have them all in my gardens where we are beginning year 5 of extreme drought and they are doing very well. You could call your county extension office (they are connected with major universities in each state) they will know which plants would grow well in your area. Malvaviscus arboreus var. drummondii (Turk's Cap) Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage) Pavonia lasiopetala (Texas Rock Rose) Salvia nemorosa 'May Night" (Meadow Sage, May Night Sage) and most other cultivars of Salvia also. Tecoma stans (Yellow Trumpetbush, Yellow Bells, Esparanza) Any number of native grasses.
Thanks Toni. It would have been wise to post my hardiness zone, it's 6b. I did plant russian sage this past summer, the more dwarf variety. That turk's cap is gorgeous, but unfortunately won't be good for my zone. There is also another area on my property that has tall pines that seem to suck the life out of the soil around them. Again, so dry that sedums even were drying up there. I had to move them dispite my watering. Is there anything out there that can withstand those conditions? It's partially shaded also. I would prefer a ground cover of some sort.
Water wasn't the problem for the Sedum under the Pine tree. The soil under Pine trees is very acidic usually a pH level of 3.5. Sedum requires a more alkaline soil 6.0-7.5. What you can do is click on the word Plants just under the GardenStew logo and do an advanced search entering all the requirements....shade, pH level, ground cover, hardiness zone and you will find a few in our database that would work. If you leave off ground cover you will more plants that will live there that you might like. My soil is alkaline so I am not familiar with the acid loving plants but the people at your local country extension should be able to give you some plant ideas.
I think I have exactly what you need. Its an annual but fits the bill perfectly. Its called "Moses in a Boat" have no idea what its botanical name is. Have never tried it under a pine tree,,but I have decided it will grow if you lay it down on concrete and water it with the dew. Only bad thing it will not stand a freeze. I have a six pack or so I would be happy to send you for just the postage. You just need to remember to bring one in before a hard freeze so you will have next years starts. It spreads by runners and also each joint will root and grow. I stick them everywhere. They are good fill in plants. You can look them up by that name. That purple giant jew would be a good go with for these. I will see if I can find a root for it.
Artemesia 'Silver Mound' is drought resistant, but does need sun to grow. I think it is lovely. It grows like its name implies: in a silver mound-like shape. A nice contrast plant. You also said you have an area under pine trees "that suck the life out of the soil around them". What a great description!! I have found the area under pine trees to be one of the hardest places to garden. Dry shade is tough. Ajuga would probably grow there. It is a ground cover that will grow anywhere, so be careful it does not get loose. Heaven help you if it gets in your lawn! Some Azaleas can deal with pine trees if you baby them in the beginning. I suppose you could also try the ground cover myrtle. Good luck!
Moses in a boat is different from jew,, it grows like an airplane/spider plant. It puts out runners and there will be another plant at the end of the runner and so on.
Thanks Mart for correcting me. Ginny... although I had the Wandering Jew mixed up with the Moses in a Boat... they may be okay for your situation. They are practically indestructible.
Toni, I never realized that sedum were alkaline loving plants. I had them everywhere in NJ and I had acidic soil on my property. It's possible too that my soil ph had changed from all the compost and mulch I used to put in. There are tons of pine needles that fall on the area I would like to plant up here. Maybe my best bet would be to do raised beds or maybe I can find some free pallets somewhere. It just looks so barren. mart and Cherylad, do you think either one of those plants would fill in enough in one growing season? The area I'm talking about is about 15' wide by about 100' long or so. I've had both of those plants as houseplants before, actually I still have a little piece of the wandering jew. The moses in the boat is a beautiful color, that would actually look great if it did grow for me. I'll let you know in the spring if I decide to plant it in that spot mart. Thanks so much for the offer. Artemesia is a beautiful plant Cayuga. I've never grown it before. I was thinking of ajuga also, last summer I planted two little plants in an area near the dry spot. Maybe once these take off I can spread them around.
Yes a pic would help but with an area that large I would do small planting areas like little diorama`s. They would work with the fallen pine needles and still create a nice garden. Then you would know what grows well there. Oh and I forgot that I also have a bowl full of spider lilly bulbs if you want to try them. They are late season/fall blooming plants and after the bloom dies back they have a mound of green similar to monkey grass. Excellent for borders or group plantings. They multiply fairly quickly and take very little care. I need to dig up more because mine are getting thick. I never water mine intentionally and they withstand Texas droughts and freezes and keep coming back. The bowl full in the garage has been out of the ground over 2 months with nothing done yet they are starting to put out new leaves and are fine.
I'll get a pic of the area later today. Mart, I would love to take you up on your offer of the bulbs. I will pm you. The spider lilies are actually a lot more hardy than I thought they were. I learn something new every day.
Ok, finally got a picture for you. I want to plant up anything that will grow in the circled area. So far I found that the dirt turns to concrete in the summer but I'm thinking maybe a couple of raised beds would be my best bet. ( photo / image / picture from GinnyC's Garden )
That's a beautiful fence. Whatever you do, I would try to take advantage of it. How big is the area? 50X30 feet? Is this the area that is under pine trees? Grass won't grow here?
