You care for drought-resistant perennials by watering well at first and doing light tasks each season. These plants need more attention in their first year. After roots settle in, your care duties drop to almost nothing.
The first step in establishing drought perennials is getting them through the first few weeks. I water new plants every 2-3 days for the first two weeks after planting. Then I stretch the gap to every four days for another two weeks. This gradual reduction trains roots to grow deep.
Your drought perennial maintenance gets easier each month as plants settle in. Experts say new perennials need 2-3 gallons per week through year one. After that first season, most drought plants need water only during heat waves or long dry spells in your yard.
I learned that watering drought plants deep beats sprinkling them often. A good soaking once a week sends water 6-8 inches down where roots want to grow. Light daily watering keeps roots at the surface where they dry out faster between rains.
Spring cleanup takes about an hour in my garden of forty drought plants. I cut dead stems to the ground before new growth starts. Some plants like lavender and Russian sage need pruning back by one-third to stay compact. Skip this step and they get woody and floppy.
Summer care means deadheading spent flowers to keep blooms coming on your plants. Blanket flower and coneflower will rebloom if you clip faded flowers before seeds form. I also watch for signs of overwatering like yellow leaves or soft crowns on my plants.
Leave your seed heads standing in fall rather than cutting everything back right away. Birds love the seeds from coneflower, black-eyed Susan, and ornamental grasses through winter. The dead stems also protect your plant crowns from winter freeze and thaw cycles.
Add mulch in late fall if you live in zones where ground freezes hard. A 2-3 inch layer of gravel or shredded bark shields roots from cold damage. Keep the mulch pulled back from stems to prevent rot where moisture might collect against your plants.
Divide your crowded perennials every 3-4 years in early spring before growth starts. You get free plants for other spots in your yard. Division also rejuvenates old clumps that have started blooming less in recent years.
Read the full article: 15 Water-Wise Drought-Resistant Perennials
