For water-wise gardening, it is best to find drought tolerant plants designed for dry soils. That way, there is less watering to keep the plant thriving. For the best selections, finding native plants can help. These are already used to growing in your selected area and have not been introduced to the environment from other areas. Native wildflowers and plants that grow well in dry soil conditions are not hard to find; five are listed here.
Spigelia Marilandica or Woodland Pinkroot and Indian Pink Spigelia
This is the perfect pick for a hummingbird garden. It has dark green foliage and bright red trumpet-like blooms with yellow throats. It prefers partial shade and dry acidic soils. It is good for borders. It will grow up to one to two feet and bloom in March through May.
Viola Pedata Bird-foot Violet
With pansy-like flowers and deeply cut leaves, the bird-foot violet grows four to 10 inches tall. Blooms are dark or pale purple and come March through June. Foliage looks much like a bird’s foot and it is why it is named such. Propagate by seed only; this is one violet that does not reproduce vegetatively. Bird-foot violet prefers partial shade or full shade and dry acidic soils. It is a larval host to the Regal fritillary butterfly.
Pinus Virginiana Called Virginia Pine or Jersey Pine
This evergreen pine grows 10 to 50 feet tall in a slow growing pattern. Dark green needles are point and slightly twister turning a yellow-green in the winter. There are dark red or brown cones. It prefers a dry loamy soil with full sun. Propagate by seed.
Quercus Prinus Chesnut Oak
This tree gets up to 60 to 70 feet tall and loves partial shade and dry soils. It has deciduous yellow green foliage and a round and dense growth habit. Its acorns are loved by wildlife and used as a food source. There is tremendous yellow orange fall color. The bark has a high amount of tannin and was once used to tan leather.
Quercus Velutina a Black Oak
This tree gets up to 50 to 60 feet tall and prefers full sun in moist rich acidic soils. It is a deciduous tree with shiny dark green leaves. It will turn reddish-brown in the fall and grow moderately fast. Its bowl-shaped acorns and almost black bark make it distinguishable. It dislikes being disturbed so it is hard to transplant. It prefers partial shade or sun and dry acidic soil. WARNING: Acorns and leaves are poisonous. It is a larval host plant for the Edwards Hairstreak butterfly.
Source:
A Georgia Native Plant Guide, T. Samuels, Mercer University Press, 2005
Tina Samuels - Tina Samuels specializes in health, animal, and gardening articles. She authored "A Georgia Native Plant Guide".
