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The Tale of Drought Tolerant plants: Water Thrifty Shade Plants
By Richard Flowers, ACCNP- Green Thumb Nursery- Ventura
John is a professional blue-collar businessman. He wants to have better looking landscape, but he is struggling to identify plants that would take the shade, be drought tolerant once established, and be easy care because he doesn’t have much time dedicated to gardening. John explained to me that he has a few areas that he would like to change to be more water efficient. One area gets filtered light that comes though the branches and leaves of a tall tree. Another spot is between the house and the neighbors’ wall where the sun is only shinning during the morning. The final site is on the northeast side of the property, where the only direct sun that it receives is in the very late afternoon. I asked John, “so does these areas receive 4 hours or less of direct sunlight?” He kindly said, “I believe so”. I asked John another question, “do the areas receive bright light?” His response was, “yes”. I told him, “I would be happy to suggest and show you several different plants that would work for your situation, come on, follow me”.
Tall growing plants:
I brought John over to the Camellias. Camellias come in a number of colors and types to choose from. You could get blooms anywhere from October to May in California depending on your selections. I explained to him the particulars of what Camellias need: A soil that is rich in organic matter and lots of mulch. Camellias appreciate regular water but once the plants get older they could survive and thrive on fairly little supplemental water. The plants require acidic fertilizer and keep them sheltered from wind and strong sun. I mentioned you could grow Camellias successfully in containers planted in EB Stone Azalea Camellia Mix. By growing camellias in containers they do not grow as large.
The next selection I offered to John was Nandina domestica, which is commonly called Heavenly Bamboo. This evergreen shrub will reach 6-8 feet tall and is narrow growing. I told John, “I personally like this plant because the leaves are intricately divided and the open growth habit provides soft and lacy feeling”. I also made John realize that new foliage comes out reddish bronze in fall giving wonderful fall color. Heavenly Bamboo will tolerate dry shade and competes well with tree roots. If you plant multiple plants you should get red berries. Tolerates drought once established.
Low growing plants:
John and I proceeded to the next plant called Mahonia – Though sometimes called by the other name of Berberis. Mahonia is a tough and hardy choice tolerating sun or shade, and adapted to being drought tolerant once established. . The selection called Compact Oregon Grape only gets 2 feet tall. I made John aware that sometimes the spines on the leaves are a turn off for this plant but I recommend this plant because of the other virtues it provides. John nodded his head indicating he understood.
The final plant I showed John was Agapanthus. John recognized and was familiar with the common name of Lily –Of- The –Nile- This old stand – by plant is durable, can grow almost anywhere. I explained the particulars about this election: Lily -Of -The Nile has the ability to grow a shady location (though won’t flower as much) and is low water adaptable once established. Lilly- Of – The- Nile grows best in a loamy soil but will also tolerate heavy soils as well. There are many varieties to choose from: some types are dwarf, and others have: white, blue-to-blue – purple flowers.
After the brief tour of the nursery John selected the plants he desired. He thanked me for my time and the valuable information I manifested to him. As he was leaving John announced to me,” I will be back because I have a few other areas that I want to transform, one area is the back patio area, it is too hot and sunny, I would like a small growing water wise shade tree to shade the area so I could enjoy being in my patio.” I waved to John, and said,” Thank you with a smile on my face”.
Of course you are not limited to just these plants, Green thumb carries an array of plants that are water wise. Stop on by we would love to help you be successful.
Stay tuned for my next article, “The Tale of Drought Tolerant Plants: Small Trees That Provide Shade And Use Limited Amount Of Water.”
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