Gardener's Guide: Drought Resistant Annuals for the Central Plains

If the area you live in has gone through anything close to a drought then you know the havoc it can wreck on your yard. There's nothing more frustrating than spending hours planting the perfect garden to have the summer season slowly kill off all that hard work. If you're in the central plains here are some suggestions of annuals that will stick with you through the drought season.

The first one I suggest is the alpine poppy. This one will bloom from early summer until late summer and has flowers of all different colors. Make sure to plant this one where it will receive plenty of sunlight. It also does really well in pots if you prefer that to yard planting. The nice thing about this poppy is that it is relatively low maintenance. I suggest starting this flower in your garden as plants as they are harder to grow from seedlings.

My second suggestion is the California bluebell. This one is pretty self explanatory as far as looks go. It is a very pretty blue flower that resembles a bell. They thrive in dry, sandy conditions but can adapt to just about anything. These flowers too need plenty of sunlight.

If you like daisy's there are two types that do particularly well in the dry heat. Those two are the whiplash daisy and the blackfoot daisy. The whiplash daisy is probably the one that comes to mind when you think of a daisy. It has white petals and a yellow center and grows on a tall stalk. The blackfoot daisy also has white petals with a yellow center but it resembles more of a sunflower since it does belong to the sunflower family. The petals are fuller and more rounded on the ends than the pointer whiplash daisy.

A very popular flower known for its toughness is the desert marigold. This one is gold to yellow in coloring and often grows in large clumps. The flowers won't grow larger than two feet. They will also need plenty of sunlight and will grow taller and more quickly if watered frequently but they do not need it to stay alive.

If you're looking for a great smelling flower then the Texas lupine would be great for you. The Texas lupine is a beautiful blue colored flower that grows in clumps off of one stem. This lupine is the state flower of Texas and you may have spotted them along the interstates of this state. These are very easy flowers to grow and take care of so even the worst of gardeners would do well with this one.

Talk to your local gardeners and try out some of my suggestions. I promise your garden's won't regret it!