As demand for water increases and water becomes more expensive drought tolerant plants have greater importance in landscapes. This means change for many landscapers. It also provides the opportunity to design and create beautiful outdoor spaces that use less water. Below are several resources for drought tolerant plants to help you create and maintain beautiful water-wise landscapes.
University of California Cooperative Extension
If you are interested in the benefits of drought-tolerant plants as well as the history, characteristics, proper selection, care and maintenance this is the site for you. Drought Tolerant Plants from the University of California Cooperative Extension is from 2009 but the concepts and information are still perfect for today’s conditions.
Have You Found Your Houzz Yet
Do you still think drought tolerant gardens mean cactus and decomposed granite? If you want to see some examples of beautiful drought-tolerant gardens to get you thinking out of the design box, you will find almost 4,000 pictures here. After viewing these you will understand the opportunities are limitless.
Monrovia
Monrovia has almost 1000 plants classified as drought tolerant. These plants are listed 12 to a page and you can type in your zip code and they will identify your plant hardiness zone and make recommendations accordingly. They have excellent photographs as well as for instructions for care, water and a detailed description of every plant. This will be one of your favorite places to get plant ideas.
Very Drought Tolerant Plants
Are you interested in plants that require no supplemental water after the establishment? Who wouldn’t be interested? The Master Gardeners from Sonoma County have put together an excellent list. These plants are recommended for Sonoma County but you can see the USDA plant hardiness zones here and see if any of the Sonoma plants might work well in your area. Or, this may spark you into action to find some very drought tolerant plants for your area. Don’t forget to share them back with readers here in the comment section.
What Drought Tolerant Plants Are Appropriate for Your City
Below are several of my favorite resources for lists for drought-tolerant plants. I tried to share the love across the United States, and I am sure I missed many great sites.
Arizona – Here is a list of low water use plants supplied by the Department of Water Resources. From our friends at Arizona Municipal Water Users is a link to searchable online data with photos and plant descriptions.
California– The Nifty- 50 list from the San Diego County Water Authority is a great resource. So is the All-Star database of plants from the UC Davis Arboretum.
Colorado – Denver Water has a section on its website for plants you can use as well as a demonstration area at their office. They also do a great job with public service announcements about saving water like this one.
Florida – No surprise here for those of you familiar with the Urban Conservation Unit they have a ton of information about drought-tolerant plants here and even information about rebates.
Northeast – UMass Amherst a school well known for horticulture (Home to one of the best softball programs in the Nation too) created a list of drought-tolerant plants here.
Texas – Austin Native Landscaping has a list complete with photos and descriptions. I am sure I missed many of your favorites. Don’t forget to add them to the comments section. If you found this information helpful please consider subscribing to the blog or following me on Twitter @H2oTrends.