Drought Tolerant Plants

About

Drought tolerant does not mean no water ever; it means that once established, usually after a first summer of deep watering, these drought tolerant plants ride out dry spells that would kill thirstier choices. The collection holds over 500 of them, from silver groundcovers and native tussocks to olives, bottlebrush and avenue cypress. The real decisions are drainage, frost and the look you are after: Mediterranean, native or succulent. The guide below the grid helps you choose and space them. What drought tolerant actually means Every plant here carries our Drought Tolerant flag, which means it holds its looks through a dry summer once the roots are down, not that you can plant it and walk away. Water deeply twice a week through the first summer, then taper off. The quieter requirement is drainage. Most waterwise plants come from sandy or rocky country, and far more are killed by wet winter feet than dry weather. On heavy clay, mound beds 200mm to 300mm high before planting. Choosing drought tolerant plants for your climate and style For the Mediterranean look that suits Perth, Adelaide and inland gardens, build around olives, cypress and herbs. The Kalamata Olive reaches 6m unpruned but holds happily at 3m to 4m with one annual prune, and our olive tree range runs from compact fruiters to narrow columns. Mediterranean Cypress ( Cupressus sempervirens 'Glauca') makes a 10m blue grey column. French Lavender ( Lavandula dentata ) flowers most of the year in mild climates, though it only takes light frost, while Tuscan Blue Rosemary is fully frost hardy. The native route is just as waterwise and better for wildlife. Coastal Rosemary 'Jervis Gem' makes a 90cm dome, Lomandra 'Lime Tuff' a fine leaved 50cm tussock, and Kings Park Special Bottlebrush a fast 4m screen with red brushes the birds work over. The Grass Tree ( Xanthorrhoea glauca ) is the slow sculptural one, adding only a centimetre or two of trunk a year. Our Australian native range holds hundreds more. In fro