My Colorful Drought-Tolerant Plants

My small yard is a little piece of heaven in my eyes. I plant flowers, herbs, and succulents because I love seeing the color all year round. As a gardener, I feel very lucky to be living in Southern California (USDA Hardiness Zone 8B) because the weather allows me to have lots of color for longer periods of time. However, the warm weather easily turns into extreme heat, so along with my water-loving hydrangeas, dahlias, and impatiens, I have a slew of colorful, drought-tolerant flowering plants to save water. My five favorites are listed below. I've had all of the plants on this list for about two years now, and they're all healthy and flowering beautifully.

Lantana - Lantana is a very common drought-tolerant shrub in warmer climates. I have two in my yard, and I especially enjoy their bicolored flowers. Lantana can be trimmed into any shape as a bush, but I'm training mine into trees. It is a plant that can reach tall heights, so it can be a colorful backdrop for your shorter plants. Garden Guides explains that Lantana " requires very little water to flourish. It is a popular plant for xeriscapes. When first planting lantana, keep it moderately moist, but once established, yearly rainfall is usually enough to maintain the plant."

Moss Rose - According to The Gardener's Network , "I f you live in a area of heat and drought, you will love growing Moss Rose. Also commonly called Portulaca [Grandiflora], this tough, yet pretty little plant, needs little moisture to thrive and bloom. It grows well in mid-summer's heat, too." The Moss Rose that I've planted have bloomed flowers in many colors. The flowers are small, double blooms, and this flowering plant is easy to propagate via cuttings. The drought-tolerant Moss Rose also works well as a ground cover where there is no foot traffic.

Gazania - Better Homes and Gardens describes Gazania as a " tough plant [that] endures poor soil, baked conditions, and drought beautifully and still produces bold-color, daisylike flowers from summer to frost." In my yard, I have these drought-tolerant plants in lovely orange and purple varieties grown as perennials, since I live in Southern California. They are planted in front of taller plants because these don't get taller than a foot.

Yarrow - A great cutting flower, the drought-tolerant Yarrow comes in a variety of colors. I especially like the cheerfulness of the yellow Moonshine Yarrow. I have my Moonshines planted behind short plants, as it grows 1-3 feet tall. According to High Country Gardens, Yarrow "is well suited to wildflower gardens and is drought resistant. Yarrow makes excellent cut or dried arrangements. Yarrow has excellent resistance to browsing deer and rabbits."

Salvia - Also known as sage, this beautiful flowering plant comes in a variety of species that have flowers in blue, purple, fuchsia, and red. Organic Gardening says of Salvia that "most species are tough and extremely drought-tolerant." I have Salvia in red and blue-violet. My red ones grow to about a foot tall, while the blue-violet is about 3 feet tall. I am able to grow mine as perennials, and they grow so well in my zone that I do trim the red ones twice a year and divide the blue-violet once every year.

I suggest you give these five colorful beauties a try because not only are they drought-tolerant, but they are easy to grow and care for.