Gardening with Sam: Beat summer heat with resilient plants
Sometimes our summers are hot and dry, and if you can’t water like you should, lots of money is lost for lack of water.
There are a few plants that are resistant and will still make your garden look great.
Artemisia is one great choice. The lacy foliage of silvery artemisia blends and softens colors. It grows about 20 inches tall. Be careful, as some varieties can become invasive. Plant in Zones 5-8.
Catmint, or Nepeta racemose, is a scrubby plant that has fragrant blue-green foliage. The flowers beckon butterflies and hummingbirds.
Dianthus is an old-fashioned favorite. This flowering plant has grassy, blue-green foliage and dainty, clove-scented blooms. It grows about 18-20 inches tall, and the bloom is dark red with light pink around the edges. Plant in Zones 3-10.
Lamb’s Ear, or Stachys byzantine, is prized for its fuzzy silvery foliage. It forms a dense groundcover in full sun and Zones 3-10. I use this greenery in prom bouquets and corsages; it gives a beautiful soft and silver texture and looks great in bouquets.
Baptisia australis, more commonly known as blue false indigo, is a long-lived North American native. It has tall flower spikes and attractive seedpods. Grow it in full to part sun in Zones 3-10.
Pineleaf penstemon is a Southwest native with needlelike evergreen leaves. It blooms from summer to fall in Zones 4-10.
Perennial salvia plants vary from small to large woody shrubs with sturdy foliage and long-lasting blooms. Planted in Zones 4-10, this one gives a lot of bang in garden pots or in the back of the bed. It provides lots of color.
Sedum, or showy stonecrop, is characterized by upright succulents that are clump-forming and handsome year-round. Sedum is a good companion for a range of other perennials in Zones 3-10. It has a thick leaf with large blooms that looks like seed heads, and it is just beautiful.
Oenothera fruticosa, commonly called sundrops, is a fast-growing spreader with bright yellow flowers on sturdy stalks, 18-24 inches tall. It should be grown in full to part sun in Zones 4-9 and will give your garden a bright splash of color.
Yarrow, or Achillea, is recognized for its feathery foliage and flat-topped flower cluster. Its varieties boast season-long gold color. Plant in Zones 2-10.
Tickseed, or Coreopsis, is low-maintenance. Long-blooming tickseed needs well-draining soil and full sun beautiful. It has yellow-colored, small blooms – hundreds of them. Plant in Zones 4-10.
Creeping thyme is a great ground cover herb. It forms dense evergreen blooms from late spring to early summer in Zones 4-10.
I hope this helps in your garden and selection of plants.
