In the summer, there is a certain kind of calm that settles over a garden. The grass is no longer there. The impatiens have renounced. What if the issue isn’t the weather, but the bad plant selection, asks a question that frequently comes to mind of every gardener:” What if the problem isn’t the weather, but in choosing the bad plants?”
Some plants don’t whither in wet conditions because their local language is summer drought. These unique plants were created in locations where the soil is narrow and the sun is relentless, and where rain has a status of a rumor. These plants have distinct characteristics that enable them to survive without water. For one thing, the roots of dry-loving plants go deeper. They have stomata that close during heat to reduce transpiration, and their waxy leaves lose less water. Plants with gold foliage reflect heat in the same way that light does in a mirror.  ,
Water — Use It Wisely reports that up to 70 % of household water use occurs out, making plant selection one of the most critical decisions a homeowner can make for both a yard and a water bill. Beyond that, plant selection is equally important. These five plants are designed to survive in your summer garden with little water.
Lavender is the herb queen.
Lavender is a plant that grows in the Mediterranean. Its small, silver-gray leaves reduce surface area and prevent water loss, and their deep root system retains moisture much after the topsoil has dried up. Lavender thrives in well-drained, somewhat acidic soil, and it rarely needs optional water once established. The sticky oils in lavender’s leaves keep the moisture in place throughout the hottest months of the year, according to Garland Co-op. It blooms and draws chaotic characters in Arizona heat, but it doesn’t merely survive. Lavender is regarded by Pollinator Partnership as one of the plants that works best to draw local bees throughout its protracted blooming period. Plant it in full sun and leave it only in your own garden. The better it grows the less interference there is.
Agave Plant: Century Plant
Agave is never a conventional garden plant. Like all succulents, it has water stored in its heavy, fleshy leaves. This old plant needs much water because it has endured Southwestern summers for thousands of years before anyone even considered planting it in a yard. The Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum provided detailed instructions on how to care for agave. It requires at least six hours of regular strong sun, and it thrives in the kind of rough soil that most plants would find challenging. It is a low-frills plant that rarely needs water, has no fertilizer, and requires no fussing. It develops gradually and continuously until one day it produces a towering bloom that can reach 20 feet before the end of its life cycle. Agave is one of The Farmers ‘ Almanac’s top picks for Southwest gardens from Arizona to West Texas.  ,
Rosemary, The Herb of Remembrance
Rosemary’s needle-like leaves are covered in the exact aromatic oil that makes it essential in a kitchen. That oil doubles as a water sealant in a drought, significantly reducing water loss. It thrives in reflected heat, which is the kind that would scorch most plants when it poured out of concrete patios and walls, making it perfect for challenging microclimates like Arizona and desert yards. When little more is available, it blooms in the late winter and early spring, feeding local bees. It is established about immediately, and needs nothing. It makes a wonderful addition to a garden in a desert summer.
Ground juniper
The juniper is considered to be one of the defining plants of the American West and capable of surviving in soils and conditions that would make most woody plants warm. Its broad root system pulls moisture from deep within the earth, much after the surface has baked painful, and its scale-like foliage reduces the surface area exposed to dry air. It provides year-round structure in a landscape without demanding anything. Plant one and leave it alone. That is certainly neglect; that is good gardening.
Sage / Salvia
One of the most different plant genera in the world, Salvia, has more than 900 species, and many of its members came from the exact arid, sun-baked climate as those that characterize an Arizona summer. Salvia’s circular flowers are among the most effective at drawing native bees and hummingbirds, according to The Pollinator Partnership, making it one of the highest-value additions to a low-water landscape because bees help maintain ecosystem stability. Salvia greggii can be grown in Southwest gardens, according to the Farmers ‘ Almanac, even though it can survive the winter. Cut it up after it blooms, as it will be stronger.
These plants were created in the same way that every Arizona garden struggles with them each summer. Their systems were created to handle heat that typical landscaping has long assumed didn’t exist. Read Green Living’s guide to xeriscaping in Arizona for more information on how to design a summer garden. It goes into more detail about low-water landscape design.
All you need to do is plant them again, step back, and let the summer and bees do the rest. A garden that drinks less and gives more.
