No more watering cans and hoses. We show you ten drought tolerant plants that you almost never have to water.
Anyone who prefers to relax in summer instead of working in the garden faces a big problem: Especially in the hot summer months, many plants need large amounts of water and have to be watered almost every day. But what if you didn't have to choose between lugging around heavy watering cans or brown, dead plants? In fact, there is a whole range of plants that can do well without additional water even in severe drought and still lose none of their splendor. We'll show you how to recognize drought-resistant plants and which ten plants should also be included in your garden.
Easy Plants: Traits of Drought Resistant Plants
One is not always sure whether a plant is particularly resistant to drought or whether it should be watered. Fortunately, however, there are a number of traits that are unique to plants that are particularly good at drought tolerance. You should pay special attention to the leaves: if they are fleshy and thick like succulents, grey-green or covered with leaf hairs, the plants are most likely to cope well with this condition.
So-called taproots, i.e. roots that reach deep into the earth, ensure good drought tolerance because they continue to supply the plant with water when the upper layers of the earth have long since dried out. If you have decided on a drought-resistant plant, you have to consider one thing: as well as the plants can deal with drought, they react badly to waterlogging. So that the plants can also thrive in autumn or winter, it is particularly important that they are given a spot with particularly permeable soil.
Top 10 Plants That Don't Need Watering
You want annoying watering and thatSave yourself lugging water in the summer? Then these ten drought-resistant plants are for you.
10. Girl's Eye
The Maiden's Eye (Coreopsis) promises colorful flowers despite the hot summer days. The colorful flowers, which cover the perennial from June to October, are the hallmark of the plant and make it a real eye-catcher. Especially the new hybrids, which not only bloom in yellow but also in many other colors, make a particularly beautiful picture in the garden. At the same time, the lady's eye is also very robust and copes very well with drought - the perfect plant for a colorful summer.
9. Rosemary
Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) belongs to Mediterranean cuisine like s alt to soup. Who is surprised, after all, the plant originally comes from the Mediterranean region. Due to its origin, rosemary likes it warm and prefers to be too dry than too moist, which is why it hardly needs to be watered. The evergreen shrub not only enriches the kitchen, but also the bed with its wonderful aroma. The shrub smells very intense and gives your garden an exotic flair. In early spring, the rosemary shows itself from its most beautiful side and not only flatters the eyes with its small flowers, but also attracts numerous insects.
Tip: As a Mediterranean plant, rosemary needs little fertilizer - if it is not repotted and does not get fresh potting soil, it will still be happy about an annual fertilization. The Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect is ideal for this.
8. Mullein
With an impressive height of 1.5 to 2 m, the mullein (Verbascum) lives up to its name. Only the Phoenician mullein (Verbascum phoenicum) remains significantly smaller with a maximum height of 70 cm and is therefore also suitable for gardens that are not so large. The flower of the mullein is particularly pretty, because its upper end is covered with flower buds that open one after the other from bottom to top. The flowers are usually bright yellow, but there are also hybrids with unusual colors. Since the mullein is primarily at home in rocky steppes and dry mountain slopes, even dry summers are no problem for them - they need additional watertherefore usually not.
7. Sage
Sage (Salvia) is not only delicious and he althy as a tea, but also a real gem for every ornamental garden. Its violet, pink or white flowers in particular, which appear on loose spikes on the plant from May to September depending on the species, make sage a real beauty. But not only its healing powers and its appearance make sage so popular - its variability and robustness also contribute to the charm of sage. You can choose between numerous different varieties - from the classic medicinal plant such as common sage (Salvia officinalis) to purely ornamental plants such as crested sage (Salvia viridis ), Select. But they all have one thing in common: drought does not usually harm the sage.
6. Poppy
It used to stand in every field, but today it is rarely seen. Poppies (Papaver) can only be found occasionally along the way. It is all the more likeable if you can offer the plant a place in your garden. And the poppy really deserves it: with its deep red blossom, it is simply breathtakingly beautiful and a real highlight in the garden. At the same time, the poppy is also very robust and can even survive longer periods of drought without help - it only tends to develop fungal diseases if the humidity is too high. But not every type of poppy is suitable for the home garden: while you can cultivate corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) or Oriental poppy (Papaver orientale) in your own garden without any problems the cultivation of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) without official permission is prohibited, as it falls under the Narcotics Act.
5. Blue diamond
The pinnate Perovskia (Perovskia abrotanoides), mostly known as blue rhombus, is a steppe plant that is well adapted to dry summers with little rain. The silver-grey color of their shoots is not only particularly attractive, but also protects the plant from overheating by reflecting the sunlight. Therefore, the plant does not usually need to be additionally watered, only a little water is recommended if the drought persists. But it's not just the unusual leaf color that makes blue rue a real feast for the eyes - between July and October it's a delightBlue rue attracts the gardener with numerous blue-purple flowers, the entire inflorescence reaching a height of up to 50 cm.
4. Alyssum
Low, compact, robust - the alyssum (Alyssum) with its decorative flowers is an uncomplicated plant for low-maintenance gardens. Even in joints or cracks in dry stone walls, the Alyssum thrives without any problems and without much care. The alyssum with its hairy, small leaves copes well with dryness, so that it only needs to be watered in exceptional cases. Its flowers in particular make it a real eye-catcher: the bright yellow flower clusters appear from the beginning of April and transform the plant into a sea of flowers, which is why it is also well suited as a ground cover.
3. Houseleek
Drought? No problem for the houseleek (Sempervivum) - this plant even grows where other plants don't stand a chance. Last but not least, this is probably where its botanical name comes from, which loosely translated means “ever-living”. In fact, the houseleek can withstand extreme drought and heat, but also sub-zero temperatures without any problems, which is why it is also often used as a beautiful ground cover or as a green roof. In addition to its exceptional robustness, the plant is also characterized by its grace and its numerous variations: There are well over 5000 varieties, which have all possible rosette shapes and sizes, but also leaf colors - from green to bright red.
2. Wollziest
A plant with hair? And should they also protect against drought? What may sound strange at first is the secret recipe for Wollziest (Stachys byzantina). In fact, the hairs on the leaves are not there to keep the plant warm, but to ensure that as little water as possible evaporates from the leaves. This makes it possible for the plant to make ends meet without watering, even in particularly dry times. But the leaves not only ensure better drought tolerance, they also give the plant its unique appearance: the leaves almost look a bit like animal ears and make a great ornament in the garden that you can stroke.
1. Sedum
The sedum plant (Sedum) is one of the real drought specialists - its fleshy, rounded leaves not only look decorative, but also act as a water reservoir that provides them with water during severe drought . So it's no wonder that the sedum plant survives long periods of drought without watering and still doesn't wilt. At the same time, the sedum is a real all-rounder in the garden: low-growing sedum species are ideal for use as pretty ground cover, higher-growing species such as the sedum (Sedum telephium) can be wonderfully integrated into perennial beds and are true butterfly magnets. The stonecrop really beautifies every garden with its countless small flowers. It is best to work some fertilizer - for example the Plantura organic universal fertilizer - into the soil when planting. How to promote soil life in your garden.
You can find a list of other easy-care plants for your garden here.