Drought Resistant Plants for the Southeast

The southeast is going through a major drought right now. We have water restrictions and are barely allowed to water our lawns and only on certain days and at certain times. If you're anything like me not only are your wallets screaming at your high water bills, but so are your plants! I am struggling to keep what is in my yard alive. After some of my own trial and error and speaking with my local garden shop employee there are quite a few plants that can make it through it. Here are some suggestions for drought resistance plants that will stay with you through these dry weather months.

A couple of good trees to try planting are: autumn cherry, bald cypress, sweet gum, cabbage palm, poplar, winged elm, pecan, fringe tree, Chinese dogwood and pin oak. The pecan is one of my favorites and thrives in hot, humid temperatures that you're sure to find in our area. They do grow pecan nuts so be aware of that. They can also grow quite large, anywhere from 70 to 100 feet, so be sure you have plenty of room for a mature tree. Another favorite of mine is the Chinese dogwood. It is originally from China, Japan and Korea but does very well in humid American temperatures. It differs slightly from the flowering dogwood, which you are probably familiar with, but is in the same family. This one can grow from 20 to 30 feet and does flower and have fruit. My favorite part of this tree is the unique looking bark which looks like it is peeling and is colored brown, gray, and tan.

If you're looking to decorate with shrubs some good options are: autumn sage, heavenly bamboo, Peegee hydrangea, cherokee rose, creeping gardenia, Indian hawthorne, Spanish bayonet, weeping forsythia and winter jasmine. A great pick from the shrub list is the heavenly bamboo which is actually not a bamboo at all. It's a beautiful shrub that changes color with every season. If you're looking for something to spice up your garden I suggest this one. It can be kept small with pruning but if left to grow can reach up to 8 feet. Another great shrub choice would be the Peegee hydrangea. These are very beautiful when blooming. The flowers change from white to pink in the fall. These two can grow up to 8 feet and sometimes larger so make sure you have room for a large shrub if you decide to plant one of these.

Now onto the perennials you can plant. The list follows as: clump verbena, moss verbena, foxglove, purple coneflower, and goldenrod. My pick of this group would have to be the moss verbena. It has a beautiful purple flower that grow in small clusters. It also does great in humid and dry conditions. Another good choice is the purple coneflower. It too is a purple colored flower with a large, reddish center. It belongs to the sunflower family and slightly resembles one.

Lastly, here are my suggestions for vines that will go well in the southeast drought conditions. They are: Algerian ivy, English ivy, sweet autumn clematis, box honeysuckle, scotch rose, tree ivy, and yellow star jasmine. A good choice from this category is the box honeysuckle. It has dark green leaves, white flowers and berries, a very pretty choice. The yellow star jasmine is a great vine too. The leaves are green and glossy and have yellow sweet smelling flowers.