With the Right Garden, You Can Create a Rainbow During Drought

Even during a drought, a landscape can bloom with color.

Rely on shrubs, flowers and herbs that thrive when rainfall is scarce. Some of the favorites flourish in hot, dry conditions.

Annual flowers are probably the best choice for an arid landscape. Some of the most heat-tolerant annuals are portulaca, zinnia, tithonia, sanvitalia, salvia, marigold, petunia, nasturtium, globe amaranth, four o’clocks, gazania, celosia, California poppy and cosmos.

Drought-resistant perennials include rudbeckia, coneflower, daylily, achillea, artemisia, gas plant, coreopsis, hardy lily, gaillardia, butterfly weed, cranesbill geranium, Siberian iris, malva, monarda, sedum and veronica.

Ornamental grasses are also capable of withstanding hot weather.

For background color, choose heat-loving shrubs like cinquefoil (Potentilla fruiticosa), dwarf winged spindle tree (Euonymus alata compacta), vanhoutte spirea (Spiraea vanhouttei), tamarisk (Tamarix ramosissima), yucca (Yucca filamentosa) and Scotch broom (Cytisus scoparius).

Herb plants are exceptionally heat tolerant too. Lavender, catmint, thyme, oregano, sage and chives ignore parched soil.