Drought conditions or water restrictions don’t mean that you have to go without colour and beauty for your small garden, courtyard or balcony.
With our water-wise tips and suggested drought tolerant plants for pots suggestions, you have plenty of options to choose from.
Top tips for a drought tolerant garden
1: Large pots are more ‘low-maintenance’ than small pots
When thinking about your drought tolerant plants for your new garden, take into account that smaller pots tend to dry out more quickly. In the hottest part of the season, you may need to water them once or twice a day. Larger pots are more water tolerant and do fine with one good watering a week.
2: Mix compost with water-control products
You can minimise how often you need to feed and water pots by mixing compost with a water-control products, such as Yates Waterwise Soil Wetter or Amgrow Wettersoil. This means you water less and shouldn’t have to feed for the rest of the season.
3: Choose your pots carefully – the pot material matters
The type of pot or planter you choose is important. Even the best drought tolerant plants will require more water in terracotta and other porous pots materials as the water leaches into the soil. Go for plastic or lightweight pots such as our Lightweight Range made from reinforced lightweight concrete which are water-sealed for extra protection.
Best drought tolerant plants for small gardens
1. Topiary in pots – high drama, low-maintenance
Give your garden or balcony instant structure with a dramatic piece of topiary. Topiaries are a horticultural art form that involves training live perennial plants into clearly defined shapes, that are typically geometric. The best thing about them is that they are very easy-care.
The Buxus Ball Topiary in this Atlantis Planter is a stunning example of topiary in a pot – one of the best drought tolerant plants for Sydney conditions.
2. Rosemary ‘Tuscan Blue’ – edible and fragrant
This edible, fragrant plant works well in large containers, needing just sparse amounts of water. Rosemary’s flower-studded leaves stretch up to seven feet tall and two feet wide, so be sure to give its woody base plenty of room to grow.
3. Succulent rosettes – Colourful drought tolerant plants
Craft a tabletop centrepiece with low-maintenance rosettes. Succulents certainly need less water than most pot plants, and less food, too. Most pot plants need to be fed every two weeks, but you can feed succulents once a month.
They don’t like getting wet feet and need plenty of drainage in their pot. As succulents don’t like being overly saturated, position in a place where they are protected from the rain. One of our top drought tolerant plants for coastal gardens.
4. Lavender – For colour and aroma
Offering the perfect combination of colour and aroma, this unmistakable flowering herb is a beautiful perennial and needs no introduction.
Lavender is easy to grow and tolerant of heat and drought. Place your container grown lavender plants somewhere they receive full sun (at least 8 hours per day) and water them sparingly.
Allow the soil to dry out between waterings, but don’t let it get so dry that the plant wilts. Ensure the pot has good drainage because the plant doesn’t tolerate excess water.
5. Zebra Plant – striking pattern, colourful flowers
Haworthia Attenuata, a succulent commonly known as Zebra Plant, originates from the cape of South Africa. They are a tough outdoor plant that loves a sunny position, often grown for the striking zebra like foliage and the delicate pale orange flowers sometimes held through summer months.
During the growing season, water the Zebra Plant thoroughly and then water when the soil becomes dry to the touch (not bone dry though).
6. Mandevilla – evergreen climber, stunning blooms
Mandevilla ‘White Fantasy’ is an evergreen climber that blooms gorgeous white flowers with just a touch of pink in the bud during spring/autumn. Bred in Japan, this outstanding hybrid Mandevilla is perfect for growing over a frame on pots or over a trellis in a garden
7. The ultimate low maintenance garden pots
Leave the pot empty! Empty pots can look wonderful and create a striking feature for your garden, courtyard or balcony – especially if you select pots with beautiful texture and colour, such as our Stone garden pots range.
If positioned in your garden, you may find that empty pots are soon colonised by ivy or other plants – which could create a stunning feature.
Need help with selecting drought tolerant plants?
If you would like to get a question answered about selecting drought tolerant plants suitable for dry weather conditions and matching them to pots – or access our garden consultancy services – give us a call to arrange a consultation.
