Designing a landscape that can survive on rainfall alone is a practical way to cut back on your monthly water bill in Western Washington. The third week of July is when rain may not be enough to keep your perennials and shrubs in good health.
Best Trees for Drought Resistance
Japanese maples, vine maples, smoke tree, and any tree sold at local nurseries that is placed in the right location can survive on rainfall. The first few summers, newly planted trees might need additional water, but after that, the root system of a healthy tree should provide all the moisture the tree needs. Just remember the secret of a good mulch, but don’t pile mulch up around the bark of a tree. Two to three inches of wood chips or bark dust on top of the root system of a tree is the easy answer to drought stress.
Best Shrubs for Western Washington
For shade, consider Aucuba japonica, Sambucus, native huckleberry, salal, and mahonia, plus well-planted hydrangeas, yews, and viburnums. For sun, smoke tree, potentilla, spiraea, barberry, Sambucus, hypericum, junipers, and mugho pine are good options. Notice what shrubs survive around abandoned homes or in parking lot islands without irrigation.
Best Perennials for Drought Resistance
Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ or ‘Madrone’ are both upright perennials with flat, late summer flower panicles that pollinators love. Russian sage, lavender, yucca, cordyline, black mondo grass, lady’s mantle, and most any perennial with gray or felted foliage can survive most summers on rainfall alone. Deep roots are the secret to less water, so dig a deep hole and loosen up the surrounding soil when adding any new plant. Form a basin around the stem of the plant with a mulch to capture rainfall after planting.
Groundcovers that Block Weeds
Creeping Jenny gets a bum rap because it is a bed hopper, but in dry soil, this low-growing perennial will behave with more decorum and spread beneath trees, shrubs, and other perennials to discourage weeds while shading the soil. Creeping Jenny is also called Moneywart and has the Latin name of Lysimachia. The yellow form is brilliant and striking, especially in the shade, but this adaptive groundcover also thrives in sun.
Original reporting: Renton Reporter — read the source article.
