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Select Plants for Landscape With Water Needs in Mind

The drought conditions in Georgia in recent years have drawn attention to the need to more effectively utilize the state’s water resources.  Although conservation will not meet all the water needs of the state, it will play a role in ensuring the state has sufficient water resources in the future. Conservation involves an improvement in the efficiency of water use, not just a temporary reduction of water use during a periodic drought.

By employing proper techniques in landscape design, installation, and routine maintenance, water can be used more efficiently without sacrificing environmental quality, not just during periods of drought, but throughout the entire growing season.

One means of obtaining this objective is through proper plant selection and installation and the use of landscape management practices that accentuate a plant’s natural ability to survive despite a temporary lack of water and nutrients.

A number of plants can continue to grow in drought conditions if they have been selected wisely and allowed to establish before being stressed by drought. Following is a partial list of some drought tolerant flowering plants to consider for extra color when planning and designing a landscape in Georgia:

Bearded Iris
Butterfly Weed
California Poppy
Coreopsis
Gaillardia
Goldenrod
Liatris
Perovskia (Russian Sage)
Portulaca
Rudbeckia
Sedum

For additional water saving tips and more detailed information on water saving practices for landscapes, refer to the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Bulletin, “Best Management Practices for Landscape Water Conservation.”  The bulletin is available from local county Extension offices or at the following website: http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd/B1329/B1329.htm