******************************************************************
PLANTS FOR THAT
BY
Practically any
plant needs some water in order to get its roots down and get accustomed
to its soil. Since they are usually small to start, hand watering is
possible if they are in a “desert area”. Many of my drought resistant
ones are planted in the parkway, between the sidewalk and the street,
where the area dries rapidly.
In general
plants with gray leaves or fuzzy ones are likely to have low water
needs. “Lambs Ears” (stachys)
will die out if their roots remain wet for very long.
Some even recommend cutting the foliage off after frost so that
it will not mat and keep roots wet during winter.
I have two kinds of fuzzy gray “Lambs Ears”. The new one has
bigger and thicker fuzz on the leaves.
I have never been impressed by the blooms so cut them off as soon
as they appear. They spread
by runners and can be divided in spring.
Kids like to “pet” the leaves.
Another family
of gray leaves is the “Artemisias” (compositae).
There are many in this group of all sizes.
None of which can stand wet roots, especially in winter.
Most of mine are planted in the “hell strip” between the sidewalk
and the street. This is the
area where I have my “gray garden”. My favorite is the “
“Silver Mound”
is another “petting" plant 12 to 18 inches high and wide. It has a
tendency to flop in the center.
Just the opposite in size is “Morning Light” which will grow to 6
feet tall if you let it. It
has bi-colored leaves and sends out many!!! root runners to surprise you
the next spring. During the
summer I cut it back at least twice which makes it branch very thickly.
No weeds can survive below this! I like it as a background for
the deep purple “Wave Petunias” (solanacea).
“Coneflowers” (Rudbeckias)
of all kinds are drought resistant once they have started well. There
are some new and different ones to choose from.
In a good location they will seed to expand their territory. They
are also called “Black-eyed Susans” in spite of being different species.
There are single and double flowered ones ranging from 10 inches
(Becky) to giant “Rudbeckia maxima” which gets 9 feet tall in my yard
with bluish foliage. I like
“Indian Summer” with its huge golden blooms.
It sometimes acts as an annual in
The purple
coneflowers are native Americans, very hardy to zone 3, and are in the
genus “Echinacea”. The Greek
“echinos” means hedgehog.
Just run your fingers over that cone and you will see why. “White Swan”
is a shorter plant, about 2 feet tall and not as likely to come back
every year. They are prairie natives and can stand heat and drought
because of their deep tap root.
The plains Indians used the root on wounds, insect bites and as a
mouthwash. They also made a tea and drank it to treat a number of
diseases. “Pale Coneflower” has a lighter pink flower whose petals drop
downward.
One of the
brightest early summer bloomers is “Butterfly Milkweed” (Asilepsias
tuberosa). The flowers are an orange-red and the plant grows between
2 to 3 feet tall. It is beloved by Monarch butterflies and has a deep
taproot. This makes it difficult to transplant but protects it from
drought. Mine do best in
full sun in the parkway between the sidewalk and the street.
We need more plantings for the Monarchs as they travel north in
summer and back south for the winter. This is one of the few plants in
“Russian Sage”
(Perouskin atriplicifolia) is
another gray plant that has tiny purple flowers on long spikes that last
a long time. They grow about
3 feet high in zone 5 with silvery foliage. There is now a shorter
version but it is just as fussy about having wet feet-becoming fatal if
it occurs during winter. The roots are so tough it’s almost impossible
to divide without hurting the plant but you can start cuttings for new
plants. They also have small off sets you can dig up.
You will have trouble finding any seeds and if you do, the
offspring will not be exactly like your original plant. In the last few
years a shorter version has become popular. It is only 18 to 20 inches
high.
Wild Petunias
(Ruellia humilis) seems to be doing well in any spot in my yard, wet or
dry. They are low plants
(12) inches but wide ones and completely covered with pale purple
flowers, coming up in edges, and hanging out over my paths.
Sometimes after blooming I cut them off to the ground, but soon
they are back and blooming again. I am writing this on June 12th and
they are lining my driveway.
They must not be a native of
The worst part
of my yard is the area below a west, brick, garage wall. July afternoons
it sizzles. After I had
several plant failures, BJ planted Sunset Hyssop (Agastache rupestris)
next to my ribbon grass and all seems to be happy. Also know as Licorice
mint, it is almost 4 feet tall, smells good when you brush it, and loved
by the Humming Birds. Its
blooms have their own color leaning to pink. If you have a similar hot
spot, try this plant. Copyright 2012 |