To complete the article on perennials that need no water in summer, I explored the subject of waterless flowering shrubs.
If you have a really dry, even arid garden with no rain in winter, I recommend this article: 25 plants for a dry, arid garden.
If you would like to introduce Mediterranean trees into your garden, you may like this article: 20 Mediterranean trees and shrubs to try out north of the Loire River.
My garden is divided into three sections. One on the roadside and another in front of the terrace are dedicated to “small flowers”, perennials and bulbs. In short, these are high-maintenance areas. That’s why I try to limit their surface area.
Most of the garden is orcharded and maintained by the robot mower. So as not to wear myself out maintaining flower beds, I only plant fruit trees and shrubs in this area, which require a minimum of maintenance. (That’s the theory, of course, because near the vegetable garden, I couldn’t resist planting flowers… well, that’s another subject…).
Still, I’d like to see a few splashes of color in this big field.
The terrain is sloping and faces southwest. In short, it’s hot in summer.
I’ve installed a few camellias in the shade of the tall trees, but most of the plot is in full sun. Farewell to the beautiful blue hydrangeas that can only survive in the shade of the house or a bushy tree.
So I’m on the lookout for plants, preferably flowering or with beautiful foliage, that would bring a little cheer to this big, dry field.
I’m looking for plants that can adapt to the new Breton climate, which is hotter and drier in summer and wetter in winter in some years. The soil, however, remains as acidic as ever.
1 -Lavender
It’s a classic that you shouldn’t be without. This winter, with all the water falling from the sky, I thought my lavenders were going to give up the ghost. They had turned gray and I thought they were rotting. But no, they’re still there, valiant and more beautiful than ever. After all, lavender is quite resistant to humidity.
They’re even borderline invasive, as I have to prune them back to make room for the agapanthus. One plant that I neglected to prune the first year it was planted has even spread over more than 1m2.
2 – Cistus
https://www.youtube.com/embed/4xUiiPH5xSU?feature=oembedCiste rose in my garden
I don’t currently have any cistus in the garden but I did take cuttings from my previous garden. Well, that’s not quite true. I have 2 large, very old plants that look like wild rockrose. These plants have suffered from this winter’s humidity, but so far they’ve been doing well. Besides, I think they’ve been there for 30 years, so it’s still a hardy plant.
There are now horticultural varieties with large pink or white flowers. If left unpruned, cistus grows into a large bush, 2 m long and 1.5 m high. Cistus is very beautiful in flower. To control their spread, they can be pruned just after flowering.
3 – Leptospermum
I’ve had this shrub in a previous garden. It adapted well despite the strong wind and sea spray. The acidity of the soil didn’t seem to bother it. The soil in that garden was even clayey.
According to the descriptions I’ve read, this shrub, originally from New Zealand, prefers well-draining soil. It’s a good candidate for my sloping garden. It flowers in late spring and reaches a height of around 1.50 m. I don’t know if it’s getting taller, as I left this garden before it was fully grown.
4 – Indian lila
One way to find plants that thrive in our new climates is to observe what’s planted in municipal flowerbeds. That’s how I discovered that agapanthus grew like quackgrass in Brittany, by the sea.
The Indian lilac also comes from these observations. About ten years ago, they replaced all the beautiful cherry blossom trees which, I imagine, were getting too big for the roadside.
To put it simply, Indian lilac comes in 4 colors: fuschia (almost red), pink, white and violet.
5 – Oleander
I haven’t tested this plant. I know it grows in Breton gardens, as I’ve seen some. However, I think it needs to be planted away from frost and perhaps swaddled for the winter. Having said that, I wrap my banana trees, so why not an oleander?
6 – The buddleia
Also known as the butterfly tree, buddleia is resistant to everything and grows well everywhere. This is both its virtue and its drawback, as it is now considered an invasive plant. Yet they are still sold in garden centers. So it’s up to you to decide whether it’s reasonable to plant it in your garden.
7 – Escallonia
Escallonia is pink or white. It is often planted as a hedge in Brittany. In hedges, it tends to be “too present” and to “poison” the soil, so that nothing grows next to it.
I’ve put just one plant of it in my garden, in white. It blooms at the end of winter, when there aren’t many other flowers, and reblooms in June.
8 – Mexican orange tree
I would add the Mexican orange to this list, as I don’t remember watering the 2 specimens in my garden last summer. They were magnificent in spring this year, however, and have since produced some wonderful new shoots. So I think this plant is fairly resistant to summer drought, provided there’s water in winter.
9 – Potentilla
Here’s a plant that’s sometimes included in lists of dry-weather plants. Personally, I water mine because they’re in the middle of beds that need watering anyway.
10 – Pyracantha
I have one at home, in front of the terrace, which has grown up all by itself. It’s simply magnificent in spring, covered in flowers. Normally, it would be beautiful in autumn, covered with berries, but the birds eat it all up. I’ve never watered it. Yet it’s high up on a terrace, with 50 cm of soil and then pebbles. A well-drained spot in full sun.
11 – Japanese quince
This magnificent shrub is very, very invasive. Plant only if you have a very large garden. Not watering it won’t slow its growth. But it’s so beautiful…
12 – Broom
All I have at home is wild broom, which by definition has never been watered; it grows very well, too well.
13 – Barberry
These pretty thorny shrubs produce pretty red or blue berries, which are edible when ripe or cooked. Birds love them. The plant requires a little watering on planting, and then lives on, even in full sun.
14 – Althea or Hibiscus
Althea thrives in well-drained, not too acid soil. So around here, it sometimes grows, but more often than not, it lives. But it’s true that it doesn’t require any watering, apart from chalky water to please it.
It forms a pretty little shrub with large flowers ranging from blue to white and all shades of pink.
I can’t get it to grow here. Maybe I should give some limestone to the cuttings that are vegetating in pots!
15 – Mahonia
This pretty holly-like plant produces beautiful clusters of yellow flowers in winter. It seems to take a little time to set up. So for the time being, I’m still watering mine, which sprouted its first beautiful shoots this year. But I think this is its last watering season. It will, however, be able to take advantage of the water I give to the nearby banana trees (banana trees are not waterless plants).
16 – Shrub Speedwell
Veronicas (Hebe) form large bushes with a 2 to 3 m spread (leave room if you don’t want to prune) and are very floriferous. Once established, it lives its life without human intervention.
17 – Rugosa rose
While other roses like a good rain from time to time, rugosa is very drought-resistant. It will look its best, of course, if it has water, but will easily survive long enough to wait for the autumn rains.
18 – The vitex
Here’s a shrub I’m not familiar with, which I discovered on the website of an American garden center. You’ll find them on French online sites. The shrub is pretty, quite tall and its flowers remind me of caryeptoris or perovskia.
Also read my article on waterless perennials, in which I present 16 plants for a waterless garden.
