Over the past decade, I have trialed many plants in a dry, sandy garden adjacent to a big, old weeping willow which I don香蕉视频直播檛 water.
I began by planting old favourites from my former nursery demonstration gardens. These thrived with no water in amended Glenmore clay.
I was very disappointed to discover how many of these plants needed extra water in the sandy garden.
The garden bed is on the roadside corner making it very hard to use a sprinkler without watering pavement.
After numerous plant failures, I changed tactics (stopped being a plantaholic) and began to grow more of the species that thrived.
The garden has a predominance of silver/gray foliage, an adaptation many drought tolerant species share.
I grow several varieties of lavender.
My favourite is the very large Lavender intermedia 香蕉视频直播楪rosso香蕉视频直播�. It has long, bright silver needle-like leaves. Plants grow to three feet wide and up to four feet tall, including the long flower spikes.
This plant looks outstanding year round.
To keep lavender plants compact, I use long-bladed shears, cutting off some foliage when I remove the finished flower stems. This encourages new growth along the lower branches.
I grow three well-behaved Artemesia for interestingly-textured silver foliage: 香蕉视频直播榁alerie Finnis香蕉视频直播�, Artemesia versicolour 香蕉视频直播楽eafoam香蕉视频直播� (Curlicue Sage) and Artemesia 香蕉视频直播楽ilver Mound香蕉视频直播�.
Artemesia 香蕉视频直播楽ilver King香蕉视频直播�, a rampant spreader, has been banished to a dry, erosion control site.
Other silver-foliaged plants I have include Santolina (Lavender Cotton) which keeps its foliage in winter, the native Ericameria nauseosa (Rabbitbrush), Russian sage and Nepeta 香蕉视频直播榃alker香蕉视频直播檚 Low香蕉视频直播� (catmint).
Culinary herbs that do well are thyme, tarragon, and sage (Salvia officinalis).
I have colourful foliage varieties of the sage香蕉视频直播攇reen with yellow, grey with pink and white, and grey/purple. Variegated foliage adds interest to the garden all season. The blue flower spikes last about two weeks in June.
It香蕉视频直播檚 important to cut out stems on variegated plants that have reverted to the solid colour as this is dominant.
Other successful herbs, not used for eating, are Hyssopus officinalis and Ruta graveolens (rue).
Early bloomers include miniature and dwarf German iris and Geranium sanguineum (bloody cranesbill).
Koeleria glauca (blue hair grass) is a short, blue-leafed, clump-forming grass that blooms in June and self-seeds randomly if I don香蕉视频直播檛 dead-head it. It香蕉视频直播檚 similar to blue fescue but performs better.
I resorted to planting Cerastium tomentosum (snow-in-summer) in the most challenging area. It香蕉视频直播檚 a vigorous spreader, quickly covering a dry mound.
To keep it in check, I shear off the flowers before they set seed and reduce the plant size by digging out a section all around the edges.
The corner I enjoy the most includes a variety of sempervivums (hens and chicks) Sedum album, Sedum 香蕉视频直播楢ngelina香蕉视频直播�, Scutellaria alpina (alpine skullcap) and Yucca 香蕉视频直播楪olden Sword香蕉视频直播� along with interesting rocks from my mother香蕉视频直播檚 rock garden.
To find out more about the plants and see photos, go to and search on the plant database.
Gwen Steele is executive director of the non-profit Okanagan Xeriscape Association.
