23 Drought-Tolerant Plants for a Lush Summer Landscape
Drought-tolerant plants are great for gardens because they don’t need much water. These plants do well in sandy or rocky soil and can handle hot, dry conditions once established.
This means you can create a beautiful garden with minimal water usage, ensuring your garden is both eco-friendly and low-maintenance.
Keep reading because we’ve picked 23 drought-tolerant plants perfect for creating a lush summer landscape.
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Blue Fescue
- Scientific name: Festuca glauca
- Growing conditions: Part shade to full sunlight
- Soil type: Well-drained, poor to moderately fertile
- Bloom time: Late spring to early summer
- Hardiness zones: 4-8
This ornamental grass can add a hint of sophistication to your surroundings with its cool, blue-green foliage.
Forming compact, clumping mounds, these drought-resistant shrubs provide textural contrast when planted amongst flowers or alongside walkways.
Blue fescues are native to both warm and cold places around the world.
This grass can grow well on empty spots of land and beat out other plants, which helps stop the soil from eroding and protects the landscape around your garden.
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Coneflower
- Scientific name: Echinacea spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Early to late summer
- Hardiness zones: 3-9
Coneflower, or Echinacea, is a native North American plant that boasts vibrant flowers, typically in shades of pink, purple, and white. Some of these plants have petals that bend backward.
Purple coneflowers, mainly E. angustifolia and E. purpurea, are popular in gardens along borders. They have strong-smelling black roots, fuzzy stems, and leaves that grow on long stalks from the base.
Plant coneflower in sunny spots for best flowering results.
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Lantana
- Scientific name: Lantana camara
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Late spring to frost
- Hardiness zones: 9-11 (annual in cooler zones)
Lantana is a vibrant, flowering plant known for its clusters of small, brightly colored flowers. It can thrive in harsh conditions, tolerating heat, drought, and even salt.
Perfect for containers, hanging baskets, or ground cover, Lantana attracts butterflies and hummingbirds, adding life and color to your flowerbed.
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Lavender
- Scientific name: Lavandula spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, sandy or gravelly soils
- Bloom time: Late spring to early summer
- Hardiness zones: 5-9
This fragrant favorite is a quintessential drought-tolerant plant. Lavender is beloved for its pretty purple flowers and calming aroma. Even outside of gardens, lavenders are famed for their unique and pleasant-smelling oils.
Thriving in hot, sunny locations with well-drained soil, lavender is perfect for lining pathways, accenting borders, or filling containers with beauty and fragrance.
Lavender is also used to flavor drinks and sweets and added to natural remedies.
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Rosemary
- Scientific name: Salvia rosmarinus (formerly Rosmarinus officinalis)
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, sandy, loamy, prefers neutral to alkaline pH
- Bloom time: Late winter to early spring, depending on the climate
- Hardiness zones: 7-10
Rosemary features needle-like green foliage that complements a variety of plants and delicate blue flowers that add a touch of elegance to your garden.
Beyond its ornamental value, fresh rosemary sprigs can be snipped throughout the season to enhance your favorite food with its fragrant, piney flavor.
Rosemary thrives in dry conditions with minimal supplemental watering.
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Creeping Juniper
- Scientific name: Juniperus horizontalis
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Non-flowering
- Hardiness zones: 3-9
A low-growing evergreen shrub, the Creeping Juniper is a champion of minimal maintenance landscaping.
This versatile plant provides year-round color and texture and is perfect for slopes. Due to its spreading habit, it helps add greenery to rock gardens or acts as a living mulch in garden beds.
Creeping juniper thrives in dry conditions and requires minimal watering once established. This allows gardeners to enjoy its lush green presence without the hassle of constant upkeep.
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Catmint
- Scientific name: Nepeta spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Late spring to early fall
- Hardiness zones: 3-8
This charming perennial forms soft, mounding clumps adorned with fragrant lavender or pink flowers throughout the summer.
A favorite among butterflies and pollinators, catmint adds a soft touch of color and grace to borders or edging flower beds.
It’s easy to grow, attracts pollinators, and resists deer.
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Blanket Flower
- Scientific name: Gaillardia spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, not too fertile
- Bloom time: Summer to fall
- Hardiness zones: 3-10
True to its name, the blanket flower lives up to its reputation and blooms in a dazzling display of color.
Featuring daisy-like flowers in shades of red, orange, and yellow, many of these plants have fuzzy leaves that are either bunched up at the bottom or spread out up the stem.
Plant blanket flowers in mixed border, wildflower meadows, or containers to add a splash of color to any drought-tolerant garden.
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Russian Sage
- Scientific name: Salvia yangii.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Summer
- Hardiness zones: Varies by species
Russian sage is another versatile option that offers both beauty and culinary uses. This classically beautiful plant has gorgeous purple, white, or pink blooms. Sage thrives in dry conditions with minimal supplemental watering.
Beyond its ornamental value, fresh sage leaves can be harvested throughout the season to enhance your favorite dishes with its earthy, peppery flavor.
Include Russian sage in your garden to enjoy its attractive blooms and elevate your culinary creations.
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Hen and Chicks
- Scientific name: Sempervivum tectorum
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, sandy
- Bloom time: Summer
- Hardiness zones: 3-8
Hens and chicks feature rosettes of fleshy leaves with clusters of offsets that resemble chicks huddling around the central “hen.” These fleshy leaves help this plant store water.
This plant forms rosettes that multiply over time, creating a dense, ground-covering mat. It’s incredibly low-maintenance and drought-tolerant.
These succulents come in various colors and textures and are ideally suited for rock gardens or containers.
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Yarrow
- Scientific name: Achillea millefolium
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, tolerates poor soil
- Bloom time: Early to late summer
- Hardiness zones: 3-9
Yarrow is a hardy perennial with fern-like foliage. This plant features flat-topped clusters of small flowers in different shades of white, pink, red, and yellow.
Yarrow is versatile, working well in borders, wildflower meadows, and as cut flowers for arrangements.
Its long blossom time and attractiveness to butterflies and bees add to its appeal.
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Butterfly Weed
- Scientific name: Asclepias tuberosa
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Summer
- Hardiness zones: 4-9
Butterfly Weed is a native perennial prized for its bright orange or yellow flowers that butterflies love, especially monarchs.
It’s an essential plant for creating a butterfly garden, as it serves as a food source for butterfly larvae and nectar for adults.
Butterfly Weed prefers full sun and well-drained soil. Its vibrant blooms add color to the garden from early to mid-summer. Once established, it’s very drought-tolerant.
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Bougainvillea
- Scientific name: Bougainvillea spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Late spring to early winter
- Hardiness zones: 9-11
Bougainvillea is a tropical climbing plant known for its colorful, paper-like bracts surrounding the tiny white flowers. They can strongly tolerate drought.
It’s a prolific bloomer in warm climates and is available in various colors — including pink, purple, red, and orange.
Bougainvillea is perfect for growing on trellises and fences.
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Aster
- Scientific name: Aster spp.
- Growing conditions: Part shade to full sunlight
- Soil type: Well-drained, loamy
- Bloom time: Late summer to fall
- Hardiness zones: 3-8
Aster is a perennial with daisy-like flowers that blossom in late summer and fall, providing a burst of color when many other flowers have finished for the season.
Available in shades of blue, purple, pink, and white, Asters are essential for attracting pollinators, especially late-season butterflies.
They prefer full sun to partial shade and well-drained soil, making them suitable for borders, wildflower gardens, and containers.
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Sweet Potato Vine
- Scientific name: Ipomoea batatas
- Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Drought season
- Hardiness zones: 9-11 (usually grown as an annual)
Sweet potato vine is known for its vibrant, heart-shaped leaves and spreading habit. It is an excellent choice for adding foliage color and texture to containers, hanging baskets, and ground covers.
While it’s related to the edible sweet potato, this ornamental variety is grown for its decorative appeal.
It thrives in partial shade or full sunlight and is available in various leaf colors, from deep purple to lime green.
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Red Emu Bush
- Scientific name: Eremophila maculata
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, can tolerate a range of soil types (sandy, loamy, and clay)
- Bloom time: Late winter to early spring, with sporadic flowering throughout the year
- Hardiness zones: 9-11
This Australian native shrub thrives in hot, dry climates. It boasts stunning red tubular flowers.
The Red Emu Bush (one of many Eremophila kinds) is a low-upkeep bloomer with beautiful foliage that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
Like other drought-tolerant shrubs, its ability to adapt to various soil types makes it a versatile addition to any garden.
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Lily of the Nile
- Scientific name: Agapanthus africanus
- Growing conditions: Full sun to partial shade
- Soil type: Rich, well-drained
- Bloom time: Summer
- Hardiness zones: 8-11
The Lily of the Nile is known for its blue or white flower clusters that sit atop long, sturdy stems.
This plant prefers moist, well-drained soil and sunshine but may require occasional watering during drought seasons.
It’s often used in borders or as a focal point when landscaping. It’s a great plant to add some much-needed color to any outdoor space.
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Rock Rose
- Scientific name: Cistus spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, poor to moderately fertile
- Bloom time: Late spring to summer
- Hardiness zones: 8-11
Rock Rose plants are drought-tolerant shrubs that produce a profusion of papery flowers in white, pink, or yellow shades.
This plant is highly sought after for rock gardens and landscapes with a Mediterranean theme.
Not only does this plant increase the visual interest of a flowerbed design, but it also thrives in well-drained soil and tolerates poor soil conditions once established. Therefore, it also helps you lower your water bill.
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Geranium
- Scientific name: Geranium spp.
- Growing conditions: Part shade to full sunlight
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Late spring to early fall
- Hardiness zones: 4-8
Geraniums are a group of long-lived perennials that offer a variety of colors, shapes, and sizes. The many species of geranium can be tall and stately for borders, low-growing for edging, or even trailing varieties for containers.
Beyond the blooms, geraniums often have attractive foliage that adds visual interest to the landscape.
The leaves can be lobed, dissected, or fern-like and come in shades of green, blue, or burgundy.
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Marigold
- Scientific name: Tagetes spp.
- Growing conditions: Full sunlight, well-drained soil
- Soil type: Adapts to various soil types but prefers well-drained soil
- Bloom time: Early summer to fall (depending on the variety)
- Hardiness zones: Most commonly grown as annuals (Zones 2-11), Tagetes spp. won’t survive harsh winters. However, some Tagetes spp. are perennials in warmer zones (Zones 8-11).
Marigolds are popular annuals known for their cheerful daisy-like blooms that are available in orange, yellow, or red color.
Attracting beneficial insects and adding a pop of color, Marigolds thrive in direct sunlight with well-drained soil. However, depending on the variety, they may not survive harsh winters.
They are also a popular choice for vegetable gardens and borders because of their pest-repellent properties.
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Bugleweed
- Scientific name: Ajuga reptans
- Growing conditions: Full sun to full shade
- Soil type: Well-drained, prefers moist soil
- Bloom time: Spring
- Hardiness zones: 3-10
This low-growing perennial is a hardworking groundcover option. Sporting spikes of blue flowers, Bugleweed thrives in sun or partial shade and tolerates various soil types.
Once established, it is easy to care for and drought-tolerant. It creates a dense carpet of foliage that helps suppress weeds.
With its spreading habit, Bugleweed is ideal for filling in bare spots under trees or shrubs.
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Black-Eyed Susan
- Scientific name: Rudbeckia hirta
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained
- Bloom time: Summer to fall
- Hardiness zones: 3-7 (perennial types), 2-11 (annual types)
A cheerful-looking wildflower, the Black-Eyed Susan brightens gardens with its large, daisy-like blooms. This flower features dark brown centers surrounded by golden yellow petals.
They grow naturally in open, sunny places like prairies and woods and are loved by birds, bees, butterflies, and other pollinators.
Due to its spreading habit, it’s often used in wildflower gardens, borders, and as cut flowers.
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California Poppy
- Scientific name: Eschscholzia californica
- Growing conditions: Full sun
- Soil type: Well-drained, poor to fertile
- Bloom time: Spring to summer
- Hardiness zones: 5-10
California poppies blossom from February to September, depending on the weather. They come in many types, including tall, short, double-flowered, and single-flowered.
These low-maintenance plants are known for their soft, gray-green leaves and four-petaled flowers on 8 to 12-inch stems.
Fortunately, these poppies are drought tolerant, so they won’t need much supplemental water after getting established.
The flowers only open in sunlight and turn into long, narrow pods that release black or brown seeds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Discover more about growing drought-tolerant plants here.
What Are Some Drought-Tolerant Landscaping Tips?
Here are some drought-tolerant landscaping tips:
- Improve Soil: When planting, enrich the soil with compost for better water retention.
- Choose Native Plants: Choose native plants that are adapted to the local weather instead of new plants that will need time to adapt.
- Select Water-Wise Plants: Fortunately, the plants listed above don’t need much water.
- Use Mulch: Mulch keeps the soil moist and reduces evaporation.
- Maintain Regularly: Pull weeds and trim plants to keep them healthy.
When Should I Plant Drought-Tolerant Plants?
Planting drought-tolerant plants should be done in early spring or fall. When the weather is cooler, these plants can better establish roots without the stress of extreme heat.
This helps them grow strong roots and handle arid conditions better as they mature.
Can I Plant Something Outside My Hardiness Zone?
Yes, you can plant outside your hardiness zone with extra precautions. Plants not suited to your zone might need special care, like added insulation against cold or growing in pots to move indoors.
Consult a local nursery or landscaping expert for the best planting methods.
Conclusion
Planting drought-tolerant plants is a great way to make a garden that looks good and conserves water.
With a wide variety to choose from, you can design a landscape that reflects your unique style and thrives in harmony with your climate.
Keep your water bill low and your garden colorful with any of the abovementioned plants.
Other Guides from Planet Natural:
Flowers Around the World — And Why They Are So Rare
19 Wild Flowers to Consider Growing (And Why)
Melissa Pino is a biologist, master gardener, and regular contributor for Planet Natural. Melissa’s work focuses on promoting environmentally-friendly practices, helping people create healthy gardens and finding ways to achieve overall health and wellness.
