Favorite Plants for a Changing Climate

This September in Asheville has thus far been the warmest that I can remember. Add to this the lack of measurable rain in the past month, and growing plants has been a challenge, to say the least. My garden has begun to look stressed, even if I miss a single day of watering.  Periods of drought have certainly occurred often the past. In the 90's, the hot, dry climate initiated the "xeriscaping" movement that encouraged people to design landscapes based on the water needs of different plants, and their ability to withstand dry conditions.

With climate change, we may have warm periods with little rain, but we may also experience extremes. Heavy rains and floods may occur more frequently, and winter temperatures might still be quite cold. So we gardeners should consider our planting choices carefully. Which trees, shrubs, and perennials can best withstand these extreme conditions? I have taken notes this summer and I will share with you some of my best performers for difficult conditions.

Perennials
1. Sedum - Sedums are probably my favorite plant for extreme conditions. They grow happily in dry weather but will not complain if rain comes along! This has been a good year for all of mine: the creeping sedums like yellow green Sedum repestre  'Angelina', or the sedum spectabile with red or pink flowers, have been star performers in the garden, and very rarely need to be watered.

2. Salvia - Salvia has not historically  played a significant part in my garden, except for my using them occasionally in summer containers. However, I had a wonderful surprise this year when I realized that Salvia 'Hot Lips' that I had planted last year for summer color, had returned strongly as a perennial! Although it is listed as a Zone 6 plant for cold hardiness, I had not had success with it coming back the following year. The red and white blooms were a fun sight in my cottage garden. Another salvia (Salvia guaranitica 'Black and Blue') also returned and was a great combination with 'Hot Lips'. Besides the constant blooms of these beauties, the best thing was that I never had to water them! I hope that these tough plants will return next year.

3 .Hakone Grass- This perennial grass, also known as Japanese Forest Grass (Hakonechloa macra) has performed very well in this hot dry year. I grow this low growing grass in part sun, and water very little. I would love to get more of this, and probably will at some point, although it is a rather pricey perennial. But its easygoing nature makes it worth the money!

4. Verbena - My  Verbena 'Homestead Purple' has not always survived through the Asheville winters. However, this year I was amazed that it not only made it through the cold, but bloomed well and required almost no additional water in this dry month. The purple blooms are lovely trailing over my stone wall. I am hopeful that this easy care perennial will make a return next spring!

5. Yucca - I used to actually hate yucca, as it seemed so common and appeared in every landscape, it seemed. But some of the smaller, variegated varieties make nice additions to the full sun garden. The best thing about yucca, I believe, is that they can be almost totally ignored. Even the newly planted ones don't need extra attention. I must apologize to yucca for hating it for so long!

Others: Native Columbine, Begonia (tender perennial or annual), Hellebore

Shrubs 
1. Roses - When I used to teach garden classes, I often gave praise to roses for their drought tolerance. Class members would generally have startled looks, as most people think of roses as being very high maintenance plants. While it is true that roses have their share of pests, it is also true that very wet weather in the summer contributes to the black spot fungus in roses. The hot dry weather, coupled with disease resistant roses such as "Bonica", and "The Fairy", made for healthy looking, floriferous roses this summer. The key is to look for disease resistant roses, which are sold at most local garden centers.

2. Abelia - Abelia has always been known for its blooms in the heart of summer, and its easy care nature. I really appreciated this hard worker this summer. There are many good varieties of this great shrub, including 'Rose Creek", 'Confetti', and the well known 'Edward Groucher'. I grow several varieties, including one given to me by my neighbor, a variegated variety whose name is unknown.
All of these are easily grown in a sun or part-sun location.

3. Aucuba - Aucuba is one of those rare shrubs that can survive in shady conditions without consistent moisture. The variety 'Gold Dust' has yellow spotted leaves, which makes it a standout in the shade. I have watered this shrub very little in this dry month, and it has continued to look good.

4. Purple Beautyberry - The purple berries of these showstoppers are always noticed by visitors to my garden. Purple beautyberry (Callicarpa dichotoma) is also very drought tolerant, and one of the few shrubs in my landscape that I have not worried about this summer. The Japanese beautyberry has more vibrant color and more berries than the native beautyberry, in my experience. They will grow in either full sun or part sun.

Others: Blue mist shrub, Spiraea, Boxwood

Trees
Crepe Mytrle - Crepe myrtles are considered by many to be the star tree of the summer garden. They bloom for a long period of time in the full sun and summer heat. Although crepe myrtles do bloom earlier if they have adequate moisture, they will do fine with little rain, and need very little supplemental water.

I must stay that I am very glad to see the rain today, as I am truly sick and tired of watering much of my garden! My moisture loving blueberry bushes are dying a slow death at this point! Good riddance! I think I will stick with the self reliant plants that have made my gardening life just a little bit easier. I plan to use more of these undemanding plants in my landscape in the future!