Dry, Dry, Dry

The dry season is well upon us. Here in Tennessee we haven't seen a drop of rain in two weeks and even that was only .12 inches (at least in our garden). I'm not sure how long the plants can hang on without a good dose of liquid from the sky. And despite my repeated waterings the plants are suffering. My poor 'Shasta' Viburnum has foliage that looks much more like a contorted filbert.

In times like these it's good to have a foundation of plants set that are drought tolerant. Fortunately I have a few! Here's a short list of the plants in my garden that so far have not been stressed by a month of Tennessee drought conditions. Their performance may vary depending on the quality of the soil.

My Drought Tolerant Shrubs and Trees

Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue'

• Oak Leaf Hydrangea
• Caryopteris
• Crape Myrtle (smaller and younger ones are stressed but the established ones are fine.)
• Witch hazel
• Butterfly Bush
• Kerria
• Yew 'Densiformis'
• Spirea
• 'Arrowwood' Viburnum ('Morton')

There are many kinds of drought tolerant trees and shrubs available and in many cases going native is the best option.  Although you can see from my list above several plants that are doing well are not even from our area at all but are fairly adaptable to the Tennessee garden climate.

How has drought or water effected your garden this year?