More Drought-Tolerant Annuals for Summer Garden

Dry summer days, particularly those with rainfall as just a memory, can wreck havoc on many established flowerbeds. Plan ahead for these days (or weeks, or months) by including drought tolerant annuals in your spring plantings. Following are a couple of great choices which do well without rainfall.

Portulaca grandiflora

An old-fashioned favorite, known as Moss Rose or Sea Rose, is an outstanding specimen for the drought tolerant garden. This low-growing creeper reaches no more than six inches in height, though it may be twice as wide. This delicate beauty blooms until autumn and may be used as an edging or planting in a rock garden. Reddish stems spread with creeping succulent leaves, making Portulaca a great addition for its foliage. Multi-colored flowers open on sunny days offering a bounty of blossoms.

Different cultivars of the Moss Rose offer double blooms and shade or late day flowering. This specimen requires only well-drained soil; poor or sandy quality does not deter its performance in the garden. Be careful not to confuse P. grandiflora with its invasive cousin, Purslane.

Portulaca grows well during wet seasons, but supplemental irrigation should not be applied from overhead. If planting this flower from seed, mix seeds with sand and scatter in area of planting.

Cleome hassleriana

The Spider flower or Spider Leg is a familiar and spectacular sight from early summer through mid-fall. Often used as a stand alone specimen in masses, explosions of blooms grace the sometimes six foot beauty. A pungent, musky odor emits from this plant, some dislike it and others enjoy. Get a whiff before you plant; if you find the fragrance unappealing, plant in areas away from doors and porches,

Wherever it may grow, look for it to re-seed prolifically the next summer. This may be an advantage to you. If you do not want Cleome to return, apply gluten based weed control before seeds sprout in spring. Whatever the disadvantages, this showy, drought-tolerant specimen deserves a space in many landscapes.

Drought tolerant annuals may be grouped together to encourage water conservation in the garden.