Seven Plants That Like Dry Soil

Trying to get plants to grow from a local big box retailer in dry soil can be a lesson in futility. It's not going to work so well when you're planting stuff that just won't grow in dry conditions. Try planting one or all of the following dry soil loving plants in your dry soil and you'll see for yourself just how easy these plants take to dry conditions.

Sunflower

This is my favorite plant for sure. And after it's finished its beautiful yellow golden blooms, you get seeds. And if you leave the seeds in the flower, you get a great bird show when all of your new found feathered friends come to eat them. And because sunflowers love well drained soils, they grow just about anywhere without the need for much water-especially as they get older and go to seed.

Black Eyed Susan

These pretty little bright "daisy like" orange flowers will bloom all year long in sandy dry soil. However, they may need a little water from time to time if they don't get too much rainwater. I personally find them to be a very hardy plant that grows very well in the sandy soils of my native central Florida. It's both a biennial and perennial plant that self-seeds after flowering and continues to grow until it gets too cold to live.

Butterfly Weed

Just as its name implies, it's a plant that attracts butterflies. From spring to summer, the butterfly weed produces lovely red, orange and yellow flowers that bring butterflies by the droves. It has a deep tap root so it's tolerant to drought conditions and actually prefers sandy, well-drained soil to moist and wet conditions. They also prefer full sun and grow to a height of about three feet.

False Sunflower

I've also heard the false sunflower called the oxeye; this yellow flower with an orange center is semi drought tolerant and grows fantastic in well-drained soils. It prefers semi shaded areas, so I plant them under the large pine trees in my yard each year. Once they start to droop, they get a little water and so do the trees.

Sage

This plant not only looks good, it smells good too. It's purple and blue leaves look great when used as a ground cover and they grow really well in sandy soils too. Sage is drought tolerant enough for most dry and arid locations and tends to grow as tall as it does wide (about two feet).

Coreopsis

I couldn't finish this article without giving a shout out to the Florida state wildflower, the coreopsis. This flower species is extremely hardy and blooms beautiful creamy yellow flowers that grow in clusters. Here in Florida, they plant them all over on the sides of the road instead of grass. Some species grow small and work perfectly for ground cover yet other species grow tall and bushy.

Yucca

If you're looking for a seriously drought tolerant plant, look no further than the yucca. Its leafy green foliage grows to a height of two feet before it finally goes into bloom. Blooms can grow as large as twelve feet tall (I've seen bigger) and come biennially. The yucca flowers are actually edible and have a dank artichoke flavor that some people (not me) find pleasing.