Drought Resistant Plants

Black-eye Susans are a reliable perennial to add color during a hot summer. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Drought Resistant Plants

Missouri is notorious for its hot humid summers. August in particular can be a difficult month for our garden greenery with record hot temperatures and little rain. The following are a few easy to grow, drought resistant plants that can add color to a garden.

My first recommendation is Black Eye Susan, a charming bright yellow flower that tolerates most soil conditions and can manage Missouri’s hot summers. The perennial is also a pollinator favorite, I often find butterflies visiting the flowers this time of year.

Autumn Joy Sedum requires little water and provides interest all four seasons. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If you add only one plant to your garden this year, make it Autumn Joy Sedum. This succulent has a different form during the year’s four seasons, is easy to grow requiring little water and is an absolute pollinator magnet.

A few years ago I found literally dozens of Painted Ladies visiting my Autumn Joy Sedum. They were migrating for winter and had stopped in my garden. It’s still one of the most lovely memories I have from having pollinators in my garden.

Need a quick dose of green? Try a Boston fern. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For a little pop of green, consider a Boston Fern. These dinosaur-era remnants love shade and are relatively easy to grow for covered decks and porches.

Yucca, also called Spanish bayonet, is an elegant Missouri native. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For an elegant, dramatic addition, consider Yucca also called Spanish bayonet. Like Sedum, these natives don’t require a lot of water and offer a beautiful white flower sometime in May.

Jerusalem Artichoke also add a pretty dose of summer yellow. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

For the gourmet growing their own food, Jerusalem Artichokes are a nice choice. These tall Missouri natives have cheerful yellow flowers July-September. Their roots are edible and are offered as a specialty dish in some high end restaurants.

Rose of Sharon, a perennial hibiscus, blooms when little else does. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Last but not least, Missouri’s Rose of Sharon offer beautiful flowers at a time when some plants shut down because of hot temperatures. Missouri’s hardy hibiscus Rose Mallow is a beautiful white bloom. There are some other perennial cousins like this pink hibiscus in photo that blooms the same time as Missouri’s native pink phlox, purple coneflowers and surprise lilies. Great combination!

Charlotte