Plants That Tolerate Dry Conditions

A list like this could have some surprising species. Drought tolerance is a subjective thing in a plant. It depends on the amount of natural rainfall, whether it fell in the usual time of the year for the area, whether the garden is mulched, what shade is available, protection from hot drying winds etc. It is easier to change the conditions in a garden than in a paddock. In general, if conditions have been average then these plants should manage 3-4 months of summer with little extra water. Of course if some water is available they will do better. One deep watering is far more beneficial than many light weekly waterings in any situation. Be aware that many Australian native species have a ‘quiet’ time during summer and manage on little water as a result. Excessive watering in this case is likely to kill the plants. It pays to know about the plants that are grown.

This list is intended for garden culture. These are some plants I know of. There will be many that can be added.

Some Plants that tolerate dry conditions prostrate to 1 metre tall.

Acacia brownii

Acacia lasiocarpa

Acacia mitchellii

Acacia pulchella

Astroloma humifusum

Astroloma pinifolium

Banksia petiolaris

Boronia caerulescens

Boronia filifolia

Boronia inornata

Calocephalus brownii

Calothamnus vallidus

Carpobrotus rossii

Carpobrotus modestos

Cheiranthera linearis

Dampiera linearis

Dampiera marifolia

Dampiera rosmarinifolius

Darwinia neildiana

Eremaea fimbriata

Eremaea violacea

Eremophila densifolia

Eremophila glabra forms

Eremophila glabra ‘Kalbarri Carpet’

Eremophila teretifolia

Eremophila veneta

Eriostemon pungens

Eriostemon verrucosus

Grevillea baxteri

Grevillea ‘Crosbie Morrison’

Grevillea juniperina (prostrate)

Grevillea nudiflora

Grevillea ‘Poorinda Royal Mantle’

Grevillea thelemanniana prostrate forms

Grevillea ‘Ellendale Pool’

Grevillea ‘Ellendale Lace’