Drought Resistant Plants

 8-14" high pyramidal clusters of up to 40 pinkish-red ball-like buds open to yellow butterfly-like blooms, then fade to a deep orange and gold, and finally turning to a deep reddish-orange to red. The Pride of Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, is a large growing tropical to subtropical shrub to tender shrub-like perennial that makes a fantastic show throughout summer. Give it plenty of room and a well-drained, moderately fertile soil, preferably in full to mostly sunny site. Plant with caution as butterflies and hummingbirds will repeatedly attack the flowers. Sometimes they drop all leaves during shipping, but will grow more with good sun. Caterpillar host: Miami Blue and Mexican Yellow Item# 571

The deep berry colored, dark-eyed flowers cover up the plants from late spring or early summer into fall atop sturdy branching stems on compact plants attracting a variety of pollinators but especially bees and butterflies. PRIMA™ Berry Coneflower was selected for its tight compact habit and excellent flower power. Its compact enough to create excellent container specimens as well as for summerlong color in the garden and landscape. Echinaceas typically do best in fertile, well-drained, average moist soils in a full to mostly sunny sites. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Photos courtesy of TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc. www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 13320

In warm orange and yellow shades, the large, fragrant, upward facing flowers are centered by a large dark, nectar rich cones tipped in dark orange and red tones and the ray petals tend to be lightest at their tips deepening into orange tones nearest their base. PRIMA™ Tiger Echinacea or Coneflower was selected for its compact mound of clean deep green foliage that is topped by by sturdy 12-18" high stems that flower for months beginning in late spring or early summer and continuing into fall. This is a hardy clump forming perennial that will do best in fertile, well-drained, average moist soils in a full to mostly sunny site. The compact habit of PRIMA™ Tiger Echinacea lends it to use as a container plant as well as in the garden and landscape. Leave seedheads for fall and winter songbirds to enjoy. Photos courtesy of TERRA NOVA® Nurseries, Inc. www.terranovanurseries.com, all rights reserved. Item# 13079

Spikes of soft golden-orange upward facing funnel-shaped flowers are produced non-stop from mid to late spring to fall atop the medium green foliage attracting hummingbirds, occasional butterflies, and long-tongued bees. Pumpkin Pie Hummingbird Bush, a selection of Anisacanthus quadrifidus var. wrightii and potentially the same as the cultivar 'Bennie's Gold', is a small decidous native shrub from South Texas with excellent flower power. This easy and reliable heirloom has an upright to spreading busny habit rarely exceeding 3-4' in height (3'x3' is fairly typical in our zone 8B gardens) and it revels in the heat and sun of summer and is undaunted by the high humidity and high rainfall of the southeastern US. In the northernmost portion of its hardiness range, zones 7A-8A, the Hummingbird Bush may freeze back to near groundlevel in the hardest winters but readily returns to flowering by mid to late spring. Provide a full sun to mostly sunny site in a well-drained, fertile, average moist soil for optimum vigor and flowering. Small enough for containers but makes a no-maintenance addition the garden and landscape. Catepillar host for Crimson Patch. Item# 9671

Solid purple clusters of fragrant flowers open late in the day attracting larger butterflies, bees, and especially the mystical hummingbird moths. The Purple Four O'Clock grows to form a large tuber from which it will return to grace your garden year after year and they flower continuously throughout the summer months. Easy and reliable and may reseed under good conditions. Item# 11174

Clusters of white to lilac, up to 1" wide, star-shaped, lightly fragrant flowers are produced nearly continuously throughout the warmer months of the year. The large velvety, white to gray green, large rounded tropical foliage of the Giant Milkweed make excellent fodder for Monarch caterpillars and one leaf can provide a substantial amount of food. A large growing shrub in tropical climates where it can be trained into a tree form, grown as a shrub, or hedge. The Giant Milkweed can easily be maintained as a large container plant. Item# 11436

The nearly 1" wide creamy white starry spring flowers are streaked with pink and are soon followed by glossy deep purple new growth that matures to deep green. The Purple Glaze® Japanese Anise Shrub, Illicium anisatum 'Murasaki-no-sato', is a shade tolerant medium-sized to large growing evergreen shrub with a slow to medium rate of growth and naturally has an upright to rounded habit. It is somewhat resistant to short periods of drought once well-established and should be grown in a site with good drainage and average moist to moist soils in an area that receives shade during the hottest part of the day, especially in hot summer climates. Anise flowers attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Not a spice plant. Item# 12003

Huge drooping panicles of long lasting, lavender, star-shaped calyxes that are centered by royal purple 1/2'' rounded verbena-like flowers that may be produced anytime between January and August. The medium-green leaves are textured like sandpaper. A vigorous, naturally evergreen tropical twining vine that lends itself to use on arbors, large trellises, fences, or on nearly any sturdy structure. Queen's Wreath can also be trained into a tree form if given a supporting post. The flowers of Queen's Wreath attract bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds. Item# 12153

These beauties are about 18 inches tall above the pot, and healthy.  As of 4-17-2022

TThe large 2" deep bluish-purple trumpets are born freely from late spring or early summer until fall on upright to arching burgundy stems with deep bronzy green glossy foliage. Purple Showers Mexican Petunia is sterile and so it can spend more energy on an endless supply of beautiful purple trumpets instead of adding unwanted seedlings to the garden. It does spread via rhizomes creating a tall ground covering mass of foliage and stems. This wonderful and vigorous selection produces larger flowers and foliage than most other Mexican Petunias. Item# 9610

Small clusters of lightly fragrant purple and lavender flowers are born from summer to frost on this easy and adaptable perennial. With a low, naturally spreading to weeping habit Purple Trailing Lantana makes an excellent choice for the garden or as a spiller in mixed containers. Excellent for butterflies, bees and other pollinators. Hardy and considered to be non-invasive. Item# 10506.

The large to very large, deep coral pink flowers are centered by a boss of contrasting yellow stamens and the flowers are randomly flecked and splashed with white and are produced in early to midseason or December to March. R. L. Wheeler Variegated Camellia is a large and vigorous growing evergreen shrub with a naturally upright to rounded habit at maturity. Provide an average moist, humus rich, fertile, well-drained, acidic soil along with a proper organic mulch for optimum vigor and flowering. Item# 9202

Radio Red Salvia is a hybrid selection with crisp apple green foliage and non-fading deep brilliant red 1" long two-lipped tubular flowers on a compact plant with exceptional flower power. The spikes of flowers are produced from spring to fall, unlike on the typical Autumn Sages (Salvia greggii) which shut down during summer, this Salvia keeps on trucking! The clean tidy habit lend it to use as a container plant where you can draw the hummingbirds and other pollinators in close or use it near the front of the garden or landscape for full season long color. This has quickly become one of our favorite small growing red Salvias! Give Radio Red Salvia a full to mostly sunny location in a well-drained soil for optimum health and flowering. Item# 10755

Masses of 1" wide yellow-eyed bluish purple daisies absolutely cover this plant for weeks in late summer and fall. Raydon's Favorite Aromatic Aster, a selection of Symphyotrichum oblongifolium and the big brother of the slightly more compact October Skies, is a medium-sized, herbaceous, densely mounding shrub-like perennial that matures to about 3' x 3' at the time of flowering. Excellent fall color for the garden as well as drought tolerance and pest and disease resistance make this an excellent addition to the perennial or wildflower border and landscape. The flowers attract a variety of pollinators but seems to be especially popular with bees. Caterpillar host: Field Crescent, Pearl Crescent, Texan Crescent, Roadside Checkerspot, Hoffman's Checkerspot, and American Lady. Prefers good to excellent drainage and a full to mostly sunny site for optimum vigor and flowering. Named the 2016 Plant of the Year by the Garden Club of America and selected for the 2003 Theodore Klein Award. Images courtesy of North Creek Nurseries, Inc., all rights reserved. Item# 13164

A tough native shrub that produces spikes of deep red tubular flowers touched with yellow that begin to open in early spring just as the Ruby Throated Hummingbirds begin to arrive. The Red Buckeye is typically a medium to large growing deciduous shrub that is adaptable to a variety of soil conditions although it will grow and flower best in full sun it is also tolerant of some shade. This tough little native begins flowering at a young age and is easy to grow and establish. Moderately drought resistant once well-established with few pests and diseases. Item# 3047

A vigorous climbing and disease resistant rose producing huge clusters of deep red 1" roses in late spring, summer, and fall. Excellent for growing on a low fence or on a trellis. Item # 601.

Brilliant crimson red bottlebrush-like flowers are produced in summer often into fall to potentially year-round under warm tropical conditions and attract hummingbirds, butterflies, and bees. Red Clusters Bottlebrush, a selection of Callistemon viminalis, is a vigorous freely flowering, naturally evergreen large shrub that can also be trained into a small tree form that matures to about 12' high by about 8' wide. In zone 8, the foliage may drop after hard freezes potentially reducing flowering and so this cultivar may be best grow in warmer winter climates like zones 9 and 10. They can also be enjoyed as container plants where not reliably hardy. Provide Bottlebrush with a full to mostly sunny site in an average to well-draining, fertile soil and they are moderately drought resistant once fully established. Item# 603

The Red Firecracker Fern produces loads of 1" showy red tubular flowers that are born in large loose clusters along the arching ferny stems throughout the warmer months of the year or nearly year round where winters are mild. Excellent for Hummingbirds! This is a durable and long-lived, clump forming perennial that requires little additional care once well-established. The Firecracker Fern has excellent heat and sun tolerance as well as moderate drought resistance once well-established. It is even listed as being suitable for xeriscaping. Firecracker Fern, Russelia equisetiformis, is listed as a Texas A&M Outstanding Coastal Plant as it has excellent resistance to soil and wind born salts, though it could use some protection from harsh, drying winds. It is also an RHS Award of Garden Merit selection. It can be used as a low informal hedge, allow it to spill over walls, enjoy it as a hanging basket, window box, or container specimen, as well as in mixed container gardens. Item# 417

It's hard to beat Turk's Cap for sheer flower power! From summer to fall the brilliant red flowers just keep coming. Red Hot, a.k.a. Red Spreader, is a lower growing and more spreading form of Turk's Cap with slightly larger red flowers that was selected by plantsman Greg Grant who also developed Pam Puryear's Pink, and Big Momma. Greg says that Red Hot has a more noticeable lower and spreading habit when grown in full sun. Excellent for Hummingbirds and Butterflies, especially the Sulphurs. Item# 9726.