Drought-Tolerant Perennials
Don't think you can plop drought-tolerant perennials into the soil as soon as you get them home from the nursery and just let them fend for themselves. Even these tough perennials need some watering while becoming established. But once established, they are good choices in areas susceptible to drought.
Examples of Drought-Tolerant Perennials
Would you like to have a flower bed in an area with dry soil, pelted by constant sunshine? These drought-tolerant perennials offer a number of choices. With two of these examples you can solve another problem at the same time (lack of floral color late in the season), growing plants that bloom in fall.
Yellow Alyssum Flowers: Aurinia Saxatilis
Many of the plants frequently grown in rock gardens are selected, in part, because they are drought-tolerant perennials. Why? Because the soil in rock gardens is typically fast-draining (the soil will dry out even quicker in a raised-bed rock garden, such as my own), so plants that don't ever like dry feet won't do well there. Yellow alyssum does not mind such conditions.
Moonbeam Coreopsis Plants
Coreopsis is a drought-tolerant perennial with the rather unflattering common name of "tickseed." Many people are familiar with the types that display orangey daisy-like flowers. Moonbeam coreopsis bears yellow flowers. I have recently been testing a variety ('Ruby Frost') that has bicolored blooms (red and yellow).
Yarrow Plants
Yarrow is a drought-tolerant perennial with some history behind it. This history is reflected in its genus name, Achillea. You history buffs will recognize a similarity between that word and the name of a Greek hero from mythology: Achilles. Learn about the connection here and find out how you can enjoy yarrow's fern-like leaves and flat-top flowers.
Snow-In-Summer
Despite their moist-sounding name, snow-in-summer plants thrive in dry, sunny areas. I have often seen this rock-garden favorite spilling over stone retaining walls and the like. To cover large areas, consider using snow-in-summer as a plant companion for yellow alyssum.
Lamb's Ear
Lamb's ears are not only drought-tolerant perennials but also deer-tolerant. That's a lot of tolerance in one plant! Another nice selection for rock gardens, lamb's ear tends to be valued more for its silvery, velvety leaves than for its blossoms (although it does send up a flower spike).
Becky Shasta Daisy
Daisies are dirt common, but don't hold that against them! Imagine you are beholding a daisy for the very first time. Would you not deem the sun-like center surrounded by clean sharp rays a beautiful sight? Moreover, daisies are no pansies: these tough plants can take the heat.