My Top Picks for Easy & Beautiful Drought-Tolerant Plants

Coneflower (Echinacea) blooms in a daisy-like form, but with a much more prominent center. Flowers are most commonly found in purple, but cultivars can be pink, red, orange, white, yellow, and even green. Be sure to check the mature plant size on the tag, as some varieties grow two to three feet in height while others remain more compact.

This plant readily reseeds, making it perfect for filling in an area naturally. If it spreads more than you prefer, volunteer plants are easy to dig up to repot, share with others, or toss in the compost pile.

The seedheads serve as a valuable food source for birds during the colder months.

Find coneflower care information here.

Tickseed (Coreopsis) is a happy flower that is almost always solid yellow or gold, although I have seen one variety with red centers and another with pink blooms.

Keeping the plant deadheaded will ensure continuous blooms throughout the summer season.

‘Moonbeam‘ coreopsis is a nice variation from most other cultivars. Blooms are small and delicate, stemming from thready foliage.

Learn more about coreopsis care here.

Russian sage (Perovskia) is a contender for the top bee attractor in the garden. From summer until frost, the long silvery purple flower spikes of this plant are swarming with pollinators. These blooms also provide a prominent burst of texture.

The base of the plant is woody, and it can grow quite large, so plan accordingly when planting. The biggest downside to Russian sage is that it will send out new plants, which isn’t a problem if you get them early–otherwise, they root deeply. This characteristic turns some people off of this plant, but because of its persistent blooms and superb pollinator food source, I’ve always enjoyed this drought-tolerant all-star in my yard.

Learn more about growing Russian sage here.

Bee balm (Monarda) boasts fragrant foliage and unique blooms, which are primarily found in shades of pink or purple. Its fluffy flower attracts butterflies and, of course, bees. Like coneflower, varieties can reach a few feet in height or remain closer to the ground.

Learn more here.

The long, wispy blooms of the wandflower (Gaura) are usually seen in white or pink. They are long blooming and a great pollinator plant.

This is another self-seeding plant, so make sure you pluck any unwanted seedlings early as they quickly develop a deep taproot that can make them challenging to remove.

Learn more about gaura care here.

Coral bells (heuchera) are one of my all-time favorite shade plants. The tiny flowers are unimpressive, but if you are a sucker for colorful foliage like me, coral bells don’t dissapoint. Their leaves can be chartreuse, gold, or various tones of bright red or purple, which really adds some pop to darker areas in the garden. When planted closely together, they create a nice groundcover.

I love the heart shaped leaves of the epimedium. In the spring, the plant develops tiny, almost orchid-like flowers, but this plant is primarily grown for foliage. It is an especially nice addition to woodland gardens.

The silvery blue blades of little bluestem (Schizachyrium) are a great addition to a garden bed. In the fall, the grass blades turn to red. I planted ‘Blaze‘ in my yard.

Thyme (Thymus) is one of the hardiest and easiest groundcovers to grow. I’ve even seen this used as a low-water lawn alternative, as it withstands some foot traffic and spreads relatively quickly.

My favorite varieties are creeping thyme (pictured), which develops pink or purple blooms in the early summer, and elfin thyme, with a satisfying spongy texture.

Ice plants (Delosperma) are very easy to grow, even in the poorest soils. Foliage is fleshy and succulent-like, forming a thick mat across the soil. During blooming, this mat becomes an impressive carpet of prolific bright color. My favorite variety is ‘Fire Spinner’, as pictured.

Over the past several years, Turkish speedwell (Veronica liwanensis) has become one of my most loved groundcovers. It spreads quickly and flaunts profuse tiny bright blue blooms in late spring/early summer. The foilage remains attractive when not in bloom, creating a dense evergreen mat of shiny green leaves.

Another benefit is that turkish speedwell can be planted just about anywhere. It loves full sun but I have found it does just as well in partial to full shade, where it adds some brightness to darker areas of the yard.

Like turkish speedwell, plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) displays abundant blue flowers and can also thrive in full sun or shade. But unlike the former, it blooms in the late summer and fall, after which the foilage turns a beautiful red.

Plumbago spreads by underground runners, which makes it an especially effective plant in areas where erosion control is needed. However, these runners can be aggressive, so it is best planted in contained beds (such as a park strip) or in areas where you are ok with it spreading freely.

The leaves of lamb’s ear (stachys) feel just like what you would imagine a soft, velvety lamb’s ear might feel like. The silvery green foilage is one of my favorite plants to add some texture to a flower bed. The plant does send up some spikes of purple blooms in the summer, but these are unremarkable.

Spotted dead nettle (lamium) is a cute low-growing groundcover with pink or white flowers that bloom in summer. Even when not flowering, its silver-green foliage is an attractive addition to the garden.

As you probably surmised, the butterfly bush (buddleja) is a favorite food source of those beautiful pollinators. Know that this plant has become an invasive species in some areas, especially the Pacific Northwest. However, commercial cultivars are sterile.

These shrubs range in size, from over 10 feet to dwarf varieties that remain a compact size, around 2-3 feet. Blooms are purple, pink, or white. They can handle part shade.

Bluebeard (caryopteris) is a fast-growing medium-sized shrub that is an excellent choice for late summer and fall color. Its blue purple blooms are a magnet for bees.

The foliage of the elderberry (sambucus) is interesting in both color and texture. Leaves are dark burgundy, almost black, and the shapes can almost resemble those of Japanese maple, especially the beautiful lacy foliage of ‘Black Lace.’

Elderberries produce flowers and edible berries known for their health properties. These shrubs are on the larger side, around eight feet in height and width. There are some upright cultivars such as ‘Black Tower‘ and ‘Laced Up‘ (pictured) that remain 3-4 feet wide for smaller spaces.

With over 150 varieties, viburnum offers a wide array of choices. Some are evergreen while others are deciduous, many produce berries, and all exhibit beautiful blooms. Most prefer full sun, but some will do well in partial shade.

In general, these shrubs tend to be very large; the Chinese snowball viburnum can grow to over 20 feet in height and width. The compact varieties are still around 5-6 feet in height and diameter. ‘Koreanspice’ is a popular smaller cultivar.

Discover more varieties from the Missouri Botanical Garden.

Daphne is an attractive, easy shrub that maintains a nice round shape without any pruning. ‘Carol Mackie’ is my favorite shrub in my entire yard. I love the variegated leaves, and in the spring, it develops tiny pink blooms that smell divine.

It is recommended to grow daphne in full sun or part shade, but mine is located on the north side of my house and as you can see, it is very happy there.

Oregon grape (mahonia) is a woody, low-growing evergreen shrub that is a solid choice for dry shade. Small yellow flowers are an early pollinator source in the spring, followed by dark blue berries that are a great food source for birds. The leaves are glossy green and turn red or purple in the fall, but the downside is they are spiky and holly-like.

Cotoneaster is a low-growing spreading shrub. Its branches of dark green leaves display tiny pink or white blooms in the spring, followed by bright red berries in the fall. Note that these berries are poisonous to humans and animals.

Some varieties of cotoneaster are evergreen; the deciduous cultivars’ leaves change colors in the fall. This shrub will tolerate shade.