Drought resistant plant, drought tolerant plant
We've had desert plants die of drought here because they were not adapted to our long hot (and DRY) summers. We've also lost many of the desert species in a wet winter. So again, the best and most drought plants for your area are going to be the ones that have adapted to your climate. If you are in a coastal area these plants may pick up as much as half of their moisture from the morning fogs. If you're on a mountain top the plants may have adapted to blowing clouds. If you're in a desert they have adapted to the five minute downpour and will spring into life that day or the next because their large and shallow root system picks up every drop that hits the ground. Chaparral, forest, many inland coastal plants and even some of the desert species belong to a cooperative where they share their resources and cycle the moisture among themselves for the greater good of all. (That's one of the reasons weed control is so important; weeds do not share.) These drought tolerant plants need to be planted together for that to work; they can't share if they do not recognize each other. Nor can the garden be truly drought tolerant if you plant a bunch of non-native plantsf in with the native plants. If you wish to mix non-native with native, plant clusters of each with a walk way in between. Many southern California landscapes have had the beautiful manzanitas, Ceanothus, sages, and other native plants removed and planted with chaparral plants from Europe that are not as drought resistant but are presented as such. Why? Many of these so-called 'drought tolerant' European plants from the South African fynbos and the Mediterranean mattoral, are also fire-adapted just as our California chaparral plants are, but live in areas that are closest to Medford, Oregon in climate, and have a much shorter dry season (two months compared to six months), hardly the same as Beverly Hills, never mind Hemet. Because of that, they are generally more of a fire problem than our native plants in drought years. From the frying pan, into the fire. If you are in one of the frying pan areas plant a low density native planting with wide spaces (you can walk comfortably between them without touching the plants) between the plants. The wildlife likes this and the planting is fairly safe. (As safe you can probably get without paving the whole place.) In Southern California look at these plants: |
