Plants That Are True Drought Survivors

Last week Robin @ Getting Grounded posted her plant list of "drought survivors" and asked what plants survived in other people's gardens. Here's a summary of what did and did not survive this past summer in my garden. I've broken my lists down into three categories: what survived and thrived, what barely survived, and what did not survive. Let me remind you that I am in north central Texas, just south of Dallas, and that we had a hellacious long, hot, dry summer. I am hoping this is the worst summer I will ever witness; whatever made it through this year is a winner for sure!

What did survive and thrive:
Agaves ~ Yes, I guess they are primarily for hot, arid regions; they all did well this year. I've never grown them before, but Brenda @ Cozy Little House got me hooked when she gave me one in the spring when I visited her, and I added several to my collection as the summer wore on. They are all in pots, as I fear our winters will be too harsh, so they had the added luxury of being moved around the yard as the need arose. And I've babied them because they are all small and I'm unsure how to care for them.

Crepe Myrtles ~ They bloomed long and profusely; I think they actually enjoyed the summer!

Datura ~ My moonflowers tolerated the heat well and bloomed as well as they've ever bloomed, of course, I don't know if you can even kill these, they tend to be invasive anyway.

Duranta ~ This leggy, shrubby plant did well in a large pot sitting in direct sun all summer. I guess that means it's indestructable! It gave me lots of tiny purple blooms and is now showing off a multitude of golden "berries". I'll add more of these next year.

Hidden Lily Ginger ~ I got this late in the season from Ronnie @ My Sanctuary and kept it in a pot, so it had a little extra tlc and shade, but it grew and multiplied beyond my wildest dream. Because of this plant, I will be adding more gingers to the garden next year. Any suggestions as to which varieties anyone?

Hummingbird vine ~ I've never, ever had any problem growing them. This year was no exception. I sow them directly into the soil, then just water regularly and they never fail me. If you looked at them, you'd never known we had such a hot, dry summer. They are just now beginning to stop blooming.

Lantana ~ Does lantana ever die? I don't think so. Mine loved the heat and never failed to produce bright golden yellow flowers. This was also one of the same plants that flourished about 10 years ago when the grasshoppers were so bad.

Liriope ~ This is another plant that even the grasshoppers won't bother. It tolerates the heat and dry conditions well.

Mexican Petunias, tall variety ~ (okay, are these the same thing as Ruellia? I can't tell them apart, so these could be petunias or Ruellia) These must be cousins to the crepe myrtles, they, too seemed to love the heat. The hotter it got, the more intensely they bloomed. They are heavy drinkers, though and if I didn't water them twice a day, they'd be wilted over by mid afternoon.

Nandinas ~ I have older, established nandinas in the front and new, small ones in the back. In both locations, they showed no signs of stress, even with minimal watering.

Rosemary ~ Yes, it grew, it thrived, it loved the hot dry summer! I have seriously considered tearing out the boxwood hedges and planting large rosemary bushes!

Southern Wood fern ~ I got a tiny 4x4 pot at the beginning of summer, and it's quadrupled or more in size! It is lush and cool and doesn't look like it sat in the heat of a Texas summer. It stayed in the shade, but heck, down here, it's hot even in the shade! Next year I'll get several more of these! It was my first year to dabble with growing ferns; I had 3, and only 1 variety flourished, read on for reports on the other 2.


What did survive, but barely:
Autumn fern ~ First year to try this, and it just didn't do much. It sat in the pot looking unhappy, with brown around the edges of the leaves most of the summer. It's alive, but not very pretty.

Four O'clocks ~ They bloomed, but not as well as they usually do. I don't think their scent was as heavy as usual either, although I may not have been outside to enjoy it as much, either. Fewer blooms meant fewer seeds, so I hope they will come back from the roots.

Japanese Red Fern ~ No matter how shady it was, or how much water I gave it, the tips of the leaves appeared fried. It grew very little and barely hung on.

Lamb's Ear ~ The lower leaves seemed to melt into the hot soil. They dried out quickly and had to be watered twice daily during the intense heat. Since my lamb's ear is potted, I kept it in shade as much as possible, too.

Lavender ~ It's in a pot so that it get proper drainage, so I could move it about as necessary. It didn't grow a lot, but I guess the fact that it hung on might qualify it to be moved to the "thrived" category, since I usually kill lavender the first year I have it. I think it is just allergic to me!

Mint ~ My spearmint hung on, but it just couldn't get enough water to make it happy.

Petunia, old fashioned ~ My grandmother's old fashioned petunias began to fade fast when the heat got intense. Now that fall is here, they are perking up again, but the heat of the summer was a difficult time for them.

Plumbago ~ This did okay in a pot in full sun on the patio, but not as well as last year. I can tell that the heat took it's toll because it didn't bloom nearly as well as last year, and if I didn't give it a drink twice daily, it wilted terribly.


What didn't survive:
Artemesia ~ It looked good in early spring, then almost overnight died and melted into the hot, dry Texas soil.

Hollyhocks ~ They looked promising in spring, but once the weather heated up and dried out, they were goners. I will replant next year, and I'll give them a bit of shade.

Moonflower vine ~ It simply vanished. It was transplanted, brought home, and replanted, so it was stressed to begin with. It was doing okay, then it just *poof* and was gone. A true garden mystery; I may have to try again next year, as they are so pretty when they bloom.

Salsa Jasmine ~ To be fair, it was a tiny plant, and we all know they just don't tolerate harsh conditions the way larger, established plants do. Maybe next year I'll start with a larger plant.

Snapdragons ~ For the first time in my life, I lost snapdragons! I thought they were indestructible. No matter how much water I gave them, they shriveled and died. Next year I will give them a spot with a little shade.

Yarrow ~ Same as the artemesia, bloomed and looked great in spring. It died so quickly I couldn't even find traces of it in the flower bed; it literally disappeared. I will plant more, this is the first time I've ever had yarrow to die, and I think it was just this freaky hot summer.

After reading over this post, I feel better about my garden. Once I see it in print, I think I didn't have as bad a year as I'd thought previously. I did have several plants that thrived, even though I lost more plants than I usually do. I'll just plant more "thrivers" next year!
I'm interested in hearing your list of survivors! Leave me a comment or point me towards your blog post.