| Summer droughts can be some of the toughest times for gardeners, especially those with naturally dry soil, or on upland sites. Here are some drought-tolerant plants to consider adding to your landscape that can power through droughts like we’re experiencing right now. SHADE PLANTS |
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| Downy Wood Mint and Lyre leaved Sage |
| Shade-tolerant plants are notorious for wanting rich, moist soil, but there are actually plenty of options that can tolerate drought as well. Many of these are facultative upland plants, meaning that they often prefer to dry out completely after watering and may not appreciate persistently wet roots. The following are available now: ● Aquilegia canadensis – Wild Columbine ● Aster cordifolius – Blue Wood Aster ● Aster [Eurybia] macrophyllus – Big Leaf Aster ● Blephilia ciliata – Downy Wood Mint ● Carex albicans – White-tinged Sedge ● Carex pensylvanica – Oak Sedge ● Cornus racemosa – Gray Dogwood ● Diervilla lonicera – Native Bush Honeysuckle ● Geranium maculatum – Wild Cranesbill ● Helianthus divaricatus – Woodland Sunflower (Light Shade) ● Salvia lyrata – Lyre-leaved Sage ● Scutellaria incana – Downy Skullcap ● Solidago caesia – Bluestem Goldenrod ● Solidago flexicaulis – Zigzag Goldenrod |
| SUN PLANTS |
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| Butterfly Weed (potted) |
| Many of our native sun-loving plants are found in open meadows and prairies that often experience baking sun and dry soil for much of the summer. Among these are many true upland plants that love it high and dry. We currently have the following in stock: ● Achillea millefolium – Common Yarrow ● Asclepias tuberosa – Butterfly Weed ● Aster [Symphyotrichum] ericoides – Heath Aster ● Baptisia australis -Blue False Indigo ● Baptisia leucantha – White False Indigo ● Campanula rotudnifolia – Harebell ● Coreopsis v. ‘Zagreb’ – ‘Zagreb’ Threadleaf Coreopsis ● Eragrostis spectabilis – Purple Love Grass ● Helianthus divaricatus – Woodland Sunflower ● Helianthus tuberosa – Jerusalem Artichoke ● Juniperus v. ‘Grey Owl’ – ‘Grey Owl’ Eastern Red Cedar/Juniper ● Opuntia cespitosa – Eastern Prickly Pear ● Parthenium integrifolium – Wild Quinine ● Rhus aromatica – Fragrant Sumac ● Rhus aromatica ‘Gro-low’ – ‘Gro-low’ Fragrant Sumac ● Ruellia humilis – Wild Petunia ● Salvia lyrata – Lyre-leaved Sage ● Schizachyrium scoparium – Little Bluestem ● Scutellaria incana – Downy Skullcap ● Silphium laciniatum – Compass Plant ● Silphium terebinthinaceum – Prairie Dock ● Sporobolus heterolepis – Prairie Dropseed ● Symphoricarpos albus – Common Snowberry ● Viburnum prunifolium – Blackhaw Viburnum |
| Plant Care During a Drought Summer has definitely arrived, so be sure to stay hydrated! That advice can apply to your plants as well. While we think of native plants as being much more drought tolerant than exotic species (and they often are), even our native plants may need some assistance. Many of our plants live in slightly different conditions than their wild cousins. Blue Vervain (Verbena hastata) typically prefers moist soil and may appreciate additional water in weather like this. Other plants may be doing a lot of growing right now, and their need for water may be greater than in other seasons. Anything that has been recently planted also needs extra help finding water as their roots aren’t yet at their normal depths. To ensure that your plants get what they need and encourage them to be more self-sustaining, water them less frequently but more deeply. If you dig 2 inches into the soil and find that the earth is dry and warm, your plants probably need some water. Watering them deeply will help encourage the roots to grow downward, instead of laterally as happens when only the surface of the soil is dampened. You should only have to do this 2-3 times a week, especially as the plants establish themselves. You don’t need to water if the top few inches of soil are still moist, and you can even risk over-watering your plants that way, depending on their needs. Many native plants can become completely self-sufficient if located perfectly, but it’s not uncommon (or anyone’s fault) if they need supplemental moisture from time to time. Some plants love arid conditions and may be quite happy right now. Newly planted trees and shrubs will take longer before they can fend for themselves – it’s common for them to need help for the first year or two. Hopefully, they require less and less assistance over time, but it’s important to keep an eye on them and check the soil. Hopefully, we get some rain soon, but in the meantime, take care of yourselves and your plants! |
June 2024 Newsletter
