These Plants Beat the Heat!- Summer 2011

Are you crying uncle from the heat? WELL, so is your garden:)

Need a plant for that especially hot and dry location? O.k. right now, that could be ANYWHERE in most yards, but there is help! I have found the following trees, shrubs and perennials to be especially heat and drought tolerant in the garden. Of course- you DO need to water them to get them established (You didn't think you could get away with NO watering did you?) BUT, once established, they are good to go and need little maintenance or fuss.  Here is my list of GREAT heat and drought resistant plants.

This is not an exhaustive list, but it will five you a good start!

Trees

Star Magnolia                    
Deodar Cedar                    
Southern Magnolia                         
Elm
Trident Maple                 
Green Ash               
Zelkova
River Birch                     
Ginko                                    
Sycamore
Redbud       
Crape Myrtle                    
Oak

Perennials

Ajuga                                    
Gaura                                    
Red Hot Poker
Bee balm                                           
Gerber Daisy                     
Salvia
Black Eyed Susan                                               
Lambs Ear                           
Sedum
Purple Coneflower                         
Liatris                                    
Shasta Daisy
Daylily                                                  
Garden Phlox                  
Yarrow

Evergreen Shrubs

Abelia                                                 
Yaupon Holly
Aucuba                                                
Juniper
Boxwood                                            
Kerria                                  
Leucothoe
Cleyera                                                 
Osmanthus
Deutzia                                                
Wax Myrtle

Deciduous Shrubs

Potentilla                                             
Spirea                                   
Witch Hazel
Forsythia                                             
Cotoneaster                       
Yucca
Butterfly Bush                                   
Viburnum

Try some of these in your garden and see if you agree. This summer has been especially brutal and I have to admit that my perennial garden filled with the suggestions above is still looking wilted, I think it is just the extremes of this season. I am going to add a soaker hose on a timer and see if that helps- might be a good idea for you as well. (If you are on a well like me- it is much easier)

Happy Gardening!

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About the Author:

Lori Hawkins, RLA, ASLA has been a registered landscape architect and active in the landscape design/build industry for over 25 years. For additional inspiring project pictures, design ideas, or great garden gifts, take a look at these websites:

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