5 Plants You Can Use in Smart Water Landscapes

Succulents

• Succulents, such as the aloe vera plant, creeping sedum and hen and chicks are drought tolerant and perform well in a smart water landscape. These hardy plants can survive on rain water alone, and actually prefer not to be watered frequently. Creeping sedum is an excellent ground-covering plant, while aloe vera and hen and chicks have a clumping and upright growth habit. Be forewarned, all of these varieties spread quickly and may need to be thinned out yearly to avoid having them take over your landscape.

Creeping Phlox

• For a dash of color in your smart water landscape, creeping phlox is a hardy plant that sips on water. Phlox comes in a variety of different colors including yellow, purple and red and thrives in rock gardens. These plants are perfect for areas that need a lot of color. They have a very low growth habit and reach a height of around 3 inches at maturity. Creeping phlox is well suited for edging between paver stones and along landscaping borders.

Aster Family

• The aster family of plants, including daises, and actual asters are very well suited to low-water landscapes. Most asters are medium in height and bloom during the late summer or early fall. Daisies tend to be taller and will begin blooming in mid to late spring. Plant a mix to ensure drought resistant color all throughout the growing season. Although not specifically an aster, but related to the daisy family, echinacea is a vibrant purple plant that offers natural health benefits as well as added color to a landscape.

Lavender

• For a larger area that needs not only color, but a calming scent, lavender is ideal. This is a spreading plant, so be prepared to trim it back or pull out shoots during the early spring if you wish to contain your plantings. Lavender requires very little water and can be used in both fresh and dried bouquets as well as in cooking. This perennial herb will return year after year, making it an economical landscaping choice.

Ornamental Grasses

• Low-water-usage ornamental grasses make a bold and dramatic statement in landscape design. These grasses require not only very little water, but also very little care. You can simply plant them, water them occasionally and watch them grow -- sometimes in excess of 6 feet in height. Feather reed grass and tall switchgrass are among the best for low water usage landscaping needs. For a shorter variety, little bluestem provides a pop of blue-green color in a small 4-inch bundle of grass.