The Sunday Mail
During these dry days, it is imperative to conserve plants that can survive in a dry garden. Many plants have evolved to survive the conditions they find themselves in. It is to our advantage that we choose suitable plants for our dry gardens – the water-wise plants.Handsome is a befitting description for this upright majestic plant called the globe artichoke (cynara scolymus).
The foliage is heavily serrated, demanding that it be given enough room to show its manliness.
The plant can reach a height of about a metre. lt requires a full sun position and is drought resistant.
However, with inadequate water it will not flower. You can grow it from seeds and use compound D fertiliser. The plant struggles with aphid attack so spray it regularly with dimethoate or malathion.
Plant it in a low wide round pot or line them in row, spaced out with a ground cover like alternanthera bettzeckiana or cuphea hyssopifolia.
Dymondia margaretae or silver carpet gazania is a preferred drought area ground cover, a lawn substitute.
Also plant it as a groundcover with large specimens like palms, cycads and large succulents like euphorbia ingens. It is an evergreen plant that prefers a well-drained site and full sun position.
Use it as a gap filler on pathways as it can survive some traffic.
Echeveria elegans(mexican snowball) is a widely used succulent in water-wise gardens as it is drought resistant.
Grow echeverias in your rockery as a ground cover or as a mounted screen with kalanchoe, sedum, lithops, and aloes in your design.
Well-drained soil is also preferred. Kalanchoe beharensis (donkey’s ears) is a magnificent desert plant, its leaves resembling a donkey’s ears. It is tough as a donkey, surviving in drought situations. It can be planted in part shade to a full sun position.
A lot of water kills this plant so ensure your site is well-drained.
Plant it in low maintenance rockery designs or in large pots. Some new cultivars have more pronounced curled ears.
Santolina chamaecyparissus (cotton lavender) is a grey foliage effect ground cover with an added advantage of aromatic foliage. It will withstand a windy position in full sun.
Many versatile uses it in the garden to conceal those ugly patches, particularly when it flowers. Combine it with other yellow coloured plants like strelitzia reginae, bulbine frutescens and streptosolen jamesonii.
Most people love hanging baskets but hate the watering.
Sedum morganianum (Lamb’s Tail) is a hanging basket plant that will survive without much attention.
The good thing about hanging baskets is that you can move them to your liking. Hang sedum baskets with other more profuse flowering baskets species like lobelias, petunias, alyssum and bromeliads.
Other additional grey leafed plants are ruta graveleons, arctotis stoechadifolia, artemisia, helichrysum and senecio species.
Choose these and many others for this time of the year if your garden is dry. Happy gardening!
Feedback: [email protected]
