If you wish to grow perennial flowers in an area pounded by the sun all day, consider a landscape plan that focuses on drought-tolerant plants. The use of drought-tolerant plants will reduce time and money spent on irrigation. Descriptions of the perennial flowers to be planted in one such landscape plan are presented below.
To view the arrangement of these perennial flowers in a drawing, an accompanying drought-tolerant landscape plan has been provided. This landscape plan indicates which perennial flowers should be placed in the back row, which plants belong in the middle row and which plants will go in the front row. The perennial bed in this example is approximately 15’ long by 11’ wide. Adjust spacing accordingly for your own perennial beds, depending on their dimensions. Pictures of individual perennials included in the landscape plan are provided in the photo gallery atop each page in this article.
Many drought-tolerant plants are also tolerant of poor-to-average soils. Some even prefer poor soils. Consequently, in addition to drought tolerance, the following perennials were also selected with an eye to soil-quality requirements. Namely, none of them are plants on which you need to waste valuable humus. Save your hard-earned humus for plants that require a rich, fertile soil. The perennials in this landscape plan prefer soils that are well-drained, and nothing facilitates drainage like plain old, infertile sand.
"Longwood Blue" bluebeard (Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Longwood Blue') is a drought-tolerant deciduous shrub that reaches a height of 3’ x 4’ and a spread of 2’ x 4’. It can be grown in zones 5-9, but in zone 5 and 6 it should be treated as an herbaceous perennial; cut above-ground growth back in winter, and await its rebirth in spring! Also called “blue mist” or “blue spirea,” its prominent features are its dense clusters of fragrant blue flowers and its silvery-gray foliage. Flowering begins in late summer and continues into autumn. Bluebeard’s blooms attract butterflies.
Because of its healthy height, bluebeard is a good choice for the back row of a bed of perennial flowers. On Page 2 we'll discuss selections for the middle and front rows of our landscape plan of drought-tolerant plants....
