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Drought Tolerant Plants

It’s going to be another sizzlin’ summer! Summer drought, doesn’t that mean you can’t plant? Absolutely not! Here are some plants that relish the summer heat, love dry conditions and add great colour to your summer garden!

Perennials

Grasses

Grasses such as Calamagrostis, Festuca and Miscanthus flourish under hot and dry conditions. Bring depth and height to your garden by adding these grasses this summer. Also adds great fall and winter interest.

Lavender and Thyme

Lavender Cupcake Butterfly Bush in bloom

These herbs love the hot sun. Add colour and delicious scents to your summer garden with either of these drought-resistant picks.

Sedum and Sempervivum

These are perfect for adding unique and interesting plants to your summer garden. With a huge selection of different varieties, you’ll never get bored with these drought-tolerant succulents.

Echinacea

Brighten up your summer garden with every colour of cone flower you can think of. It’s not just purple and pink anymore! They also come in several different sizes now, from under a foot to over 3 feet tall.

Perovskia

Want long-lasting blooms in your summer garden? Russian sage provides a long bloom time with great colour for those hot and dry areas.

Gaillardia

The blanket flower is a part of the sunflower family, and its large flowers show you why. With several varieties in store, you’ll have lots of colours to choose from. 

Vines

Honeysuckle

This heat-loving vine attracts hummingbirds and butterflies with its masses of fragrant flowers. Honeysuckle is a twining vine and will need some support in the garden, such as a trellis or fence.

Flowering Shrubs

Smokebush 

Royal Purple Smokebush in bloom

Add outstanding deep purple foliage all season to your hot and dry garden, with smoke-like puff flowers in late summer. Grows 3m by 3m at maturity.

Beauty Bush 

A graceful choice for this hot summer. Arching branches are covered with an abundance of pink flowers in June. Grows 3m by 3m at maturity.

Ninebark 

A compact, sun-loving shrub that provides excellent colour in the garden. Foliage and flowers come in several different colours depending on the variety. June blooms are attractive to butterflies and hummingbirds. Height varies depending on the variety.

Dwarf Burning Bush 

Compact Winged Burning Bush in fall

Once established, this shrub is perfect for your hot and dry garden. The dark green summer foliage turns a brilliant red in the fall. Compact and undemanding. Grows 1.25m by 1.5m at maturity.

Trees

Honey Locust 

Sunburst Honeylocust

Once established, the honey locust is a drought and heat-tolerant tree that can provide shade as well as fragrant flowers in late spring. Relatively fast growing, this medium-sized tree can tolerate a variety of soil conditions, including alkaline soil.

Weeping Caragana 

A small weeping accent tree with fine green foliage and yellow flowers in spring. Very hardy and heat tolerant. Grows 2m by 1.25m at maturity.

Evergreens

Junipers

Blue Star Juniper

There are several varieties of juniper, spreading and upright, that tolerate hot and dry conditions. Blue and green tones provide excellent accents in the garden.

Pines 

Vanderwolf's Pyramid Pine

Several varieties of pine, whether shrub or tree form, are heat-loving and drought-tolerant. With so many different varieties of pines available, there’s something for every garden!

Yuccas 

A striking accent plant with broad sword-like leaves that last year-round. White flowers bloom on a very tall stake in summer. Green and yellow varieties are available.

PLEASE NOTE: Even though these plants do well in dry and hot areas, each one does need to be watered regularly for the first growing season until established.

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