Consider adding more drought-tolerant perennials

As our summer weather stays hot and dry, adding perennials that can tolerate more heat and drought that take minimal care is a wise choice. As I have mentioned in this column before, Plant Select Plant Program can be found at the following link: plantselect.org. Aside from these plants there is an even wider selection.  

Many in the wider selection listed below can be used as groundcover. Here are a few choices for using in large groups:

— Yarrow — red velvet, paprika, moonshine, New Vintage™ Red and New Vintage Violet™ Yarrow. These types of plants attract bees and butterflies, control erosion, are deer-resistant and can bloom for more than four weeks. The flower and the foliage are fragrant. These yarrow are xeric and low maintenance.

­— ‘Vision® Violet’ Cranesbill, or Geranium sanguineum, is a new introduction which attracts bees and butterflies, but are deer- and rabbit-resistant. This plant naturalizes and needs full sun, with low maintenance and low water requirements.

— Butterfly weed, or Asclepias tuberosa, attracts hummingbirds, butterflies and bees. It also is deer-resistant. Both the foliage and flower are fragrant. This will naturalize in the garden. It takes full sun and is xeric once established.

— Blut ice plant, or Delosperma ashtonii. Blut attracts bees and is resistant to deer and rabbits. The foliage stays evergreen through the winter, and this plant is cold hardy to zone 5. This is best planted in groups. The plants will bloom for more than four weeks.

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