Drought-Tolerant Plants

Cathy writes~
I live in the Sierra foothills not far from Yosemite National Park in California. Do you have any suggestions for drought tolerant plants that also bloom. We have our own well have to be careful with water.

A. Choosing the appropriate drought-tolerant plants for your landscape is important. There are many sources of information about drought tolerant plants, including the Western Garden Guide© by Sunset Books, Inc. and Xeriscape Gardening© written by Ellefson, Stephens and Welsh. Another excellent resource is to ask someone at your local gardening center to show you plants that are native to Southern California or that are well adapted to our climate. Always group plants according to soil, water and sunlight needs, making sure that they are compatible with your overall landscape design as well. The more time you spend thinking about your landscape before you start, the less time you'll need to spend changing things after you plant. A well-designed area not only is more enjoyable to look at, but it’s better for your plants and can reduce your overall cost of maintenance.

Consider these plants, but I have a great searcher at the bottom:
Eriogonum umbellatum ........................... Sulfur Buckwheat
Mimulus aurantiacus ................................ Bush Monkeyflower
Muhlenbergia rigens ................................ Deer Grass
Salvia 'Allen Chickering' ......................... Allen Chickering Sage
Scutellaria antirrhinoides ......................... Blue Skullcap
Scutellaria californica ............................... White Skullcap
Sphaeralcea munroana ........................... Creeping Globemallow
Rosmarinus 'Tuscan Blue' Tall Rosemary, beautiful, with pale lavender-blue flowers.
http://www.plantstogo.com/calnatives.htm

A great book to buy is:
The Complete Guide to Northern California Gardening by Maureen Gilmer at Taylor Publishing.
This is the definitive guide for Northern California gardeners. This book gives you everything you need to know to garden successfully, from understanding Northern Californian climate and soil conditions and setting up a personalized garden design to specialty gardening such as growing exotics or creating a drought-tolerant (Xeriscape-style) landscape. Discover how to make your own kitchen and herb gardens and how to control pests without resorting to hasty, toxic solutions. Included are more than 250 gorgeous color photographs; diagrams, tables, and plans; a map of the seven basic climatic areas; information on erosion control, invasive plants, and oak-root-fungus-resistant plants; and at-a-glance boxed tips-such as using rice hulls from area farmers as an economical mulch, or figuring your soil composition.

Maureen Gilmer comments:
Living in northern California has provided me an intimate sense of our lifestyle and gardens. This book was written for the novice or intermediate gardener who wants a concise all purpose book that offers the most useful information without wading through a lot of text that doesn't apply to our immediate environment. In addition, I feel that a solid palette of reliable plants and the details needed to use them properly is essential to making gardening fun and successful for everyone.

Publication date: March 1994

I highly suggest you subscribe for free to:
High Country Gardens: drought-tolerant plants for Western gardens
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/subscribe.html

I have done a search here and it lists hundreds of choices for xeric and all other gardening conditions, with choices of:

Plant Type
Flower Color
Bloom Time
Sunlight Preference
Moisture Preference
Mature Plant Height
Soil Type
Extreme Climate Condition
Attracts Butterflies
Attracts Hummingbirds
Fragrant Flowers/Foliage
Deer Resistant
Rabbit Resistant

http://www.highcountrygardens.com/shop/finder.html?id=e56cf73b144d2f0c89ac8b94060d682d

The above site lists from Acantholimon hohenackeri [Prickly Dianthus] to Zizophora clinopodioides [Blue Mint Bush] Unbelievable!

I have bookmarked it since the information is incredible.

Roslyn writes~
We have a condition where we really need to watch our water supply. What can we do? Are there a list of plans I can grow which are called 'drought-tolerant'?

A. There are an entire range of plants you can choose. I found a fine website which discusses trees, lawns, perennials, annuals, shrubs, vines, bulbs, etc.

'Be sure to know and follow your water districts rules on outdoor watering. If you follow the 7 steps of Xeriscape™, you can have a beautiful garden and landscape in spite of the drought. Remember all plants need moisture to get established and most plants are considered established after one growing season, trees and shrubs need two seasons.'

1. Planning & Design.
2. Improve the Soil.
3. Create practical turf areas.
4. Water efficiently with appropriate methods.
5. Select plants appropriate for climate and group according to water needs.
6. Mulch to reduce evaporation.
7. Maintain your Xeriscape garden.

There are many products available at a garden center to help your plants thrive through tough seasons. Here are just a few recommendations to consider:

Mulch
Compost
Water timers
Rain gauges
Water sensors
Polymers
Multiple hose connectors
Drip irrigation supplies
Soaker hoses
Landscape fabric
Deep root waterers

http://www.xratedgardening.com/