I just updated my blog with some tips on perennials for hot dry locations: http://petiolejunction.wordpress.com/2011/03/27/6-flowering-perennials-for-hot-dry-locations/
I know I've only reached the tip of the iceberg (because I was writing about plants that I've personally had experience with, although I could definitely include more!), so I thought I'd ask for more thoughts and recommendations.
What do you like for growing in your garden hot spots? What sort of soil do your favorites grow best in? I'd love to hear!
Perennials for hot dry spots
Wow! What a wonderful blog! I'm going to go back and read all the archives!
Thanks, Kosk! :D
Great blog, KaylyRed! I love coreopsis- short (Coreopsis verticillata) and medium tall (Coreopsis lanceolata). I have quite a few and they just love being out in the hot sun, and they can take being dry also. I have coneflowers all over the yard that bloom like crazy all summer long. There's quite a few sedums that do great here as well. Most of my garden beds are south-facing in full sun.
Thanks, janaestone!
Funny you should mention coreopsis and sedums--I had both on the list, along with Salvia nemorosa and I decided the article was getting too long so I cut it off there. I will probably do a Part 2 later on and include some of the plants suggested in this thread. :)
Kayly,
Interesting the plants you name in your blog. I am down here in Z8b and most of the same plants do well on my place. The catmint, I grew one year and it never came back so definitely no worries of invasiveness here. I am just now trying to get some malva started to see how they do. The liatris grows here as a native and the coneflowers, particularly the pink ones, are very reliable and the blanket flowers will selfseed and come back in some surprising places.
You say Fla. dry? Yeah, there is a lot of humidity, but I live on a sand hill in the scrub. The only water around are the 2 ponds I put in. It's dry enough here on my place to grow roses without black spot.
I agree on the coreopsis, even newly planted after watering for the first 2 weeks are very durable.
Molly
Yes, coreopsis will survive and bloom with zero water for 2 months. (Oregon summers---believe it or not, usually not a speck of rain July and August, which drives me a little crazy.)
Most of the plants you've listed are the ones I grow in my hottest, dryest place too, but my soil is not heavy clay. It's a nice fertile loam. Irises do great there mixed with the cone flowers and daylilies. I've also found that Verbascum, Daisys, Agastashe, Lavatara, Salvias and Columbine all seem to like it. I know many people say Columbine is for part shade, but they seem to do great in full sun too.
I definitely have to hit on agastache, salvia and coreopsis on the next round. And I guess people really do want to know what to grow in hot, dry spots...because I get a lot of traffic to my page from people who Googled the term "perennials for hot dry locations."
I have a sandy loam now, lincolnitiess--it's so nice to work with compared to the rocky clay at my old place. But here I have very little sun (and the one place I do have sun doesn't have a bed yet. Hopefully that'll happen this year.) I grew columbine in quite a bit of sun at my old house and they did fine. Ditto hardy geraniums/cranesbill. In fact, the cranesbill was in full sun all day in the same hot dry spot as the rest of the plants I listed and it did wonderfully. I should probably add that one to the list. I have a feeling most gardeners don't think of cranesbill as taking the heat. :)
Yarrow comes to mind and there are great colors. I just picked up a raspberry yarrow. There's yellow, papirika, etc.
Not perennial for me but I plant them every year and it's well worth adding the punch of color to the perennial beds - that's zinnia, cleome or cosmo. Cosmo and Cleome will self seed here. I put batch a one color in each place. Tall red giant zinnia in one spot and bright yellow in another. Another great one and if it reseeds for your zone would make it perennial is white cleome. Stunning for dry places and a large patch of white really kicks in during the hot days of summer.
Kathy
I have both the columbine and the cranesbill in full sun here. In fact, my columbine does better in the full sun than it does in part sun/part shade.
I love the profusion zinnias.They make a sweet border and I combine them in planters
I live in a really hot, really dry place. But I grow these perennials very easily and they look great: Lavender, yarrow, coreopsis, echinacea, wisteria, rudbeckia, nepeta, chamomile, chives, roses, hyssop, rosemary, st. johns wort and thyme. And I consider these perennials for me even though they're not because they reseed for me: hollyhocks, lobelia, salvias of all kinds, sunflowers, peppers, zinnias, 4o'clocks, marigolds, parsley, colored-stemmed chard, nasturtiums, alyssum.
If anyone is looking for flowers that bloom in hot and dry conditions try looking at : Lauren Springer's book, "The Undaunted Garden". She grows in an area called the hell strip, it is the area between the street and the sidewalk, which she never watered, and the location of her garden at the time of book got approximately 16" of precipitation per year. So they had to be tough. There are also alot of plants that are not common to most people, (friends with people from botanic gardens and plant huntsmen). She also has several newer books out from her new garden which is located west in the foothills,(north and west of Denver). Hope this helps a bit. I don't know about anyone else but I have to water all summer long or would loose my babies, and personally I'd rather keep my babies alive. Lol. Good Luck, Kathy.
I have that book, Kathy. One of my favorites and it gave me many good ideas and plant choices.
Coreopsis and Florida go hand in hand. After all it is the official state wildflower and you can buy a specialty FL license plate with Coreopsis on it.