As our climate here in Georgia becomes more hot and dry, it is important to make wise choices when considering plants for the garden. Necessary watering restrictions imposed cause many of our newly planted garden plants to die. If you don't want to be faced with those same results, consider plants that actually enjoy hot, dry growing conditions. Add plants to your garden that originate in the desert southwestern US. Plants from that region are accustomed to hot, dry climates with poor soil and most will adapt well to our climate here. Southwestern native plants need well-drained soil, though, and for the most part, Georgia soil is heavy clay. Some soil improvements will be necessary to help those plants survive here. I know you're thinking ...I'm about to suggest you install a cactus garden, but I'm not. Most of the time when we think of the gardens of the southwest, we think only of cactus and yucca, but there's more out there than that. Here's a few garden worthy plants that deserve consideration for Georgia gardens. Some of these recommendations are actually native to the Southeast!
Delosperma comes in several varieties with different foliage and bloom color. Delosperma cooperi has rather large purple flowers resembling asters on a ground-hugging succulent plant. Delosperma nubigenum has sunny yellow flowers resembling daisies on a very low-growing succulent with jelly-bean shaped leaves that turn red with the onset of cold weather.
Gaillardia, often referred to as Blanket Flower or Indian Blanket, has blooms all summer long that, as the nickname implies, have all the colors of an Indian Blanket. The blooms are quite large and bright, visible from a distance, making this plant ideal for roadside gardens. Some even have ruffly or double petals!
Rudbeckia (Black eyed Susan) and Echinacea (Coneflower) are probably already in your garden, but seek out some of the new colors which are unusually beautiful.
Ornamental grasses will provide movement in the garden as well as foliage contrast. The blooms which are usually in the form of a plume or seed head offer additional beauty at the end of the season and also food for some of our native birds!
Bulbs tend to be more drought tolerant, so if a native plant forms a bulb, you can usually count on it surviving a drought and returning when more favorable conditions return.
Amsonia is a native perennial that really looks like a grass. In early summer blue flowers are lovely, but this plant is most beautiful in fall when the foliage turns the brightest of gold.
Vines are needed in every garden for that vertical interest, and the very drought tolerant Cross Vine, Bignonia capreolata. Not to be confused with the also beautiful Trumpet Vine which can be invasive if not controlled, the Cross Vine is much easier to manage. And instead of just plain orange blooms, Bignonia has blooms that resemble a flame--yellow, orange, and pinkish red all on the same flower. Shaped like a trumpet, the blooms are a favorite of the hummingbirds here.
Then there is a favorite native tree, the Red Buckeye. Unlike other buckeyes, the Red Buckeye, Aesculus pavia, grows well in dry soil. The huge red bloom panicles appear in very early spring even before the leaves, and provide food for the hummingbirds just as they are returning from their winter vacation.
These plants tolerate our winters as well as our hot, humid summers, as long as the soil is well-drained. So as you plan for new additions to your garden, remember there'll be a drought and plant some of our beautiful native American plants that are even more accustomed to the heat than we are!
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