Looking for some low maintenance perrennials or small shrubs that can tolerate all the rain of the pacific northwest, and not need much or any watering during our dry July & August, at least once established. I find that plants that like all the rain the rest of the year sometimes need more water in the summer than I can remember to give them, and they suffer for it. Thanks for any suggestions.
As the lack of replies so far shows, this is a rather daunting question. In the first place the parameters are pretty loose, for example, you have not said whether you are looking for plants to grow in sun or shade, and what purpose you want these plants to serve - landscaping, weed smothering, or to give you something interesting to look at in the garden, or what your taste in plants is. Absent any of that information, the list of possibilities is in fact pretty long. Far more considerate, I think, to specify more carefully what you're looking for, so that respondents are more likely to be able to conjure up a few ideas. So I don't have any specific plant suggestions, but perhaps some tips for how to succeed better with the plants you have. To withstand winter rains, it helps if plants are planted a bit high so that they have some drainage from the crown. Yet to gather and hold moisture in summer, whether from rain or from occasional watering, it helps if the overall soil grade allows water to pool around the plant's root zone. Also, if there are some rocks, some concrete, or something else that will shade the roots and collect condensation overnight, that will also help plants get through the summer. Finally (as you in fact point out), the qualities you have stated that you are looking for - that is, plants that can be ignored all year 'round - are only likely to be available from well-established plants. In sun especially, I would be loathe to suggest that there are any plants that you can expect to be able to forget to water in their first year. However, overall your chances will be best if you plant in fall, as our temperate winter allows plants to establish themselves during that time.
Thanks for your reply, Karin. I'm looking for plants for a Perennial/shrub for full sun to part sun. I prefer pink, blue, purple & white flowered plants that don't need staking. I'm looking for plant suggestions for drought tolerant plants that can also tolerate our rains. Ideally I'd like these plants to need watering (once established) only two or three times a month and at the most once a week.
Focus on drought tolerance, with adequate drainage winter precipitation not a problem for numerous drought tolerant plants grown here. Lack of summer rain main limiting factor. In older Seattle residential neighborhoods at this time, after recent hot weather one can easily see which plants are little affected by drought, as well as the many kinds used that are not getting enough moisture (but tough it out from year-to-year). Maybe there are some places near you where you can walk around among small properties with curbside gardens open to the street and see what they have that looks good to you. Otherwise, if you are near Vancouver or Victoria there are the various labeled display gardens (including UBC).
Thanks for your reply Ron, and for answering my question, even if I didn't word it very well. I have will search for some drought tolerant plants, now that I know they can tolerate all the rain.
If you have full sun and good drainage the obvious candidates in the flower colors you want are the aromatic shrubby herbs like rosemary, lavender and sage and popular, culturally and visually compatible ornamentals like rockroses, hebes, blue spirea (Caryopteris)...look at curbside rockeries and displays at garden centers, an outlet near you may even have a special Dry Gardening, Low Water Use or Drought Tolerant section.
I'd second the Caryopteris as an excellent and very drought tolerant plant. I agree it won't suffer in winter wet, at least not in my experience, but some of the true alpine type plants will. Irises also do well left quite dry in summer, and don't seem to rot in winter. Echinops, Eryngium, and Catananche are three other drought-tolerant blue ones you might try. Ceratostigma is also a lovely blue, blooming now in my yard. Agastache is another, and then there is penstemon, available in a wide range of colours. You might also enjoy the many colours of Buddleia; my neighbour has it in a beautiful pink. Also, hostas are an amazingly drought tolerant plant; there are some highly sun-tolerant varieties like Aphrodite and Royal Standard, but mostly they will do better in the part-sun part of your mandate. But mostly I would have to agree with Ron that if you look around nurseries or books for sun-loving plants, most won't be a problem in winter as long as you aren't putting them in a swamp.
