Flowers add both color and style to your yard. Some can even survive and thrive in dry soil or drought conditions so that you can use them for xeriscaping.
So, what are some drought tolerant flowers? Drought tolerant flowers include: Borage, Desert Rose, Ditch Lily, English Lavender, Mountain Cornflower, Pincushion Flower, Purple Coneflower, Rose Campion, Sage, and Zinnia. Some of these flowers also boast attractive foliage or unique colors to add style to your garden.
Of course, some of these flowers prefer full sun, while others tolerate partial or full shade.
In this article, we’ll talk about 10 drought tolerant flowers. We’ll also take a look at what they need for light, water, and other important growth factors.
Let’s get started.
10 Drought Tolerant Flowers
There are plenty of drought tolerant flowers, but here are 10 to start with:
- Borage
- Desert Rose
- Ditch Lily
- English Lavender
- Mountain Cornflower
- Pincushion Flower
- Purple Coneflower
- Rose Campion
- Sage
- Zinnia
Let’s begin with Borage.
Borage
Borage is an annual that produces showy, fragrant, tiny (less than 1 inch) white, pink, or blue flowers (possibly year-round).
Borage needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Borage prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.0 to 7.0).
Borage can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 20 to 40 inches, with a width of 16 to 28 inches.
You can propagate Borage by seeds.
You can learn more about Borage from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Borage from American Meadows.
Desert Rose
Desert Rose (Adenium obesum) is a perennial (annual in frosty regions) that produces showy pink or red flowers (possibly year-round).
Desert Rose needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Desert Rose needs full sun. It prefers slightly acidic soil (pH of around 6.0).
Desert Rose cannot tolerate cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 10a (as cold as 30 degrees Fahrenheit or –1 degree Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 8 to 10 feet, with a width of 3 feet.
You can propagate Desert Rose by layering, stem cuttings, or by seeds.
You can learn more about Desert Rose from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Desert Rose from Garden Goods Direct.
Ditch Lily
Ditch Lily (Hemerocallis fulva) produces a showy 3 to 4 inch orange flower with a red eye and gold throat (in late spring or summer).
Ditch Lily needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Ditch Lily prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.0 to 8.0).
Ditch Lily can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 24 to 36 inches, with a width of 15 to 18 inches.
You can propagate Ditch Lily by division or by seeds.
You can learn more about Ditch Lily from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Ditch Lily from Direct Gardening.
English Lavender
English Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is a perennial (annual in humid climates) that produces showy and fragrant flowers that are often purple but can also be lavender, mauve, blue, or white (in late spring, summer, or early fall).
English Lavender needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
English Lavender prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It prefers neutral to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.6 to 7.8).
English Lavender can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 5a (as cold as -20 degrees Fahrenheit or –29 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 18 to 24 inches, with a width of 24 to 48 inches.
You can propagate English Lavender by division, stem cuttings, or by seeds.
You can learn more about English Lavender from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find English Lavender from Direct Gardening.
Mountain Cornflower
Mountain Cornflower (Centaurea montana) is a perennial that produces showy blue flowers in late spring, summer, or early fall.
Mountain Cornflower needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Mountain Cornflower needs full sun. It can tolerate acidic and alkaline soil.
Mountain Cornflower can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 12 to 24 inches, with a width of 12 to 18 inches.
You can propagate Mountain Cornflower by division or by stolons and runners.
You can learn more about Mountain Cornflower from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Mountain Cornflower from Bluestone Perennials.
Pincushion Flower
Pincushion Flower (Scabiosa columbaria) is a perennial that produces showy lavender or blue flowers in late spring, summer, fall, or early winter.
Pincushion Flower needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Pincushion Flower prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade . It can tolerate slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.0 to 7.5).
Pincushion Flower can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 12 to 18 inches, with a width of 12 to 15 inches.
You can propagate Pincushion Flower by division.
You can learn more about Pincushion Flower from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Pincushion Flower from Bluestone Perennials.
Purple Coneflower
Purple Coneflower (Echinacia purpurea) is a perennial that produces showy and fragrant 2 to 3 inch pink, purple, or white flowers in late spring, summer, or early fall.
Purple Coneflower needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Purple Coneflower prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It can tolerate slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.5 to 7.2).
Purple Coneflower can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 2a (as cold as -50 degrees Fahrenheit or –46 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 12 to 36 inches, with a width of 12 to 36 inches.
You can propagate Purple Coneflower by division or seeds.
You can learn more about Purple Coneflower from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Purple Coneflower from Prairie Nursery.
Rose Campion
Rose Campion (Silene coronaria) is a biennial that produces showy pink, rose, or magenta flowers in spring, summer, or early fall.
Rose Campion needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Rose Campion prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It can tolerate slightly acidic to slightly alkaline soil (pH of 6.1 to 7.8).
Rose Campion can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 24 to 36 inches, with a width of 16 to 24 inches.
You can propagate Rose Campion by seeds.
You can learn more about Rose Campion from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Rose Campion from Bluestone Perennials.
Sage
Sage (Salvia nemorosa) is a perennial that produces showy and fragrant purple or deep blue flowers in late spring, summer, or fall.
Sage needs moderate moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Sage needs full sun. It can tolerate slightly acidic to neutral soil (pH of 6.0 to 7.0).
Sage can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 4a (as cold as -30 degrees Fahrenheit or –34 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 18 to 24 inches, with a width of 18 to 28 inches.
You can propagate Sage by division or stem cuttings.
You can learn more about Sage from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Sage from Mountain Valley Growers.
Zinnia
Zinnia is an annual that produces showy flowers that can be red, orange, yellow, purple, lavender, pink, or white in summer, fall, or early winter.
Zinnia needs moderate to dry moisture levels. It needs good drainage in a container. Too much water will cause root rot and eventually kill the plant.
Zinnia prefers full sun, but it can tolerate partial shade. It can tolerate somewhat acidic to neutral soil (pH of 5.5 to 7.5).
Zinnia can tolerate extreme cold. As an outdoor plant, it is hardy to Zone 3a (as cold as -40 degrees Fahrenheit or –40 degrees Celsius).
This plant grows to a height of 1 to 8 feet, with a width of 12 inches.
You can propagate Zinnia by seeds.
You can learn more about Zinnia from the National Gardening Association’s Plant Database.
You can find Zinnia from Eden Brothers.
Conclusion
Now you know about 10 drought tolerant flowers and how to take care of them. They might provide inspiration to help you to improve your landscape and add color to your yard.
You can learn more about how to garden without water in this article.
You might also want to check out my article on drought tolerant ground cover plants, my article on drought tolerant perennials, or my article on drought tolerant annuals.
Dry soil can lead to erosion – you can learn how to prevent it in my article here.
I hope you found this article helpful. If so, please share it with someone who can use the information.
If you want to read some of my most popular posts, check out the “Best of GreenUpSide” page here. Enjoy!
~Jonathon