What are your best plant survivors of the drought of 2007

I would like your own experiences for the best and worst plant survivors of the previous year. I'm very interested since I'm new to NC.

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Various salvias (Hot Lips, Pink Perfection, San Carlos Festival, and an unknown variety that spread like weeds), and grasses ( Muhlenbergia capillaris---"Sweetgrass"---both pink and white, Setaria palmifolia, Miscanthus sinensis "Little Kitten", Schizachyrium scoparium "Little Bluestem", and in the shade, Carex morrowii "Ice Dance") all grew like they didn't know any better. Old standbys like Hedychium coronarium, various Crinums, Datura (both D. metel, and D. meteloides), also did just fine. All the "Knock Out" roses did really well, even the newly planted "Rainbow" variety. The only real disappointments were the "Kleims" Gardenias which aren't dead yet, but they're SAS, and the different Amsonias we tried last year. Won't plant either again.
But we're in different zones...

my best things were mexican fan palm, schefflera arboricola, mediterranean fan palm, poinsettia, bottlebrush, mexican petunia, and leyland cypress
mex. fan palm was damaged this winter for some odd reason, but this wasn't about winter, it was about drought, right??

This message was edited Mar 5, 2008 9:43 PM

I'd say the salvias, grasses, coreopsis, palms such as pindo, sago and windmill, artemisia(peruvian lily) and plumbago.
Barb

Karin, in our zone, we'll see things wake up a little later, and actually that's good, because we usually get a late cold spell in April.

Consistently, the most drought tolerant plants here on the top of the sunniest driest slope in my yard (LOL) are:
Buddleia
yarrow
yucca
hardy crinums
hollyhocks, actually
lilac, but not sure if it will bloom
soapwort-saponaria
echinacea
shasta daises
veronicas
windmill palm--t.fortuneii
sedums do okay, but I've killed a few--same with salvias
lycoris
pasque
iris
candytuft
wirevine
crocosmia
eryngiums
creeping verbenas and ivies
4 o clocks do well pretty much anywhere
daylilies
once established, cannas can do well, but won't get as big or flower as well
wormwoods
santolina, lavendar...lemon balm will take over once established, too

Yuuca, lol. Your safe with anything that has nasty spikes. Now that I think about it, anything that will hurt you if fall into it is drought tolerant. Don't know why but that seems to be true.

Buddleia
Salvias
Long leaf or lobblolly pine
privet, pretty much non-killable
Wax mrytle

LOL, my loblollys and wax myrtle did well also. :-)))))


.

I realize I am in the minority of yucca enthusiasts out there...lol, but there's no better plant if you want low maintenance (might lose an eye if you try anyway) .The blooms are absolutely incredible on them, so huge. The 'Color Guard' yuccas stand out from a distance better than anything in my yard right now....and OMG, if you've never eaten yucca fries Carribean style with the cucumber sauce ...mmmm...lol

This is a cool yucca, I forget the cujltivar however. It is even redder now than when this picture was taken. It does lose a lot of it's color in the summer heat. It is not kid friendly, at all.

I've only noticed the red in the variegated ones I have, and only when the weather got cooler.

that one's pretty you have, ardesia

Ardesia,

As much as I dislike Yuccas, I sure like the one you have!!!

Karin ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

My varigated winter daphne did fine and are fragrant now beyond my hopes, edgeworthia, lorapetelum, 'Powis Castle' wormwood, geum, 'Henry's Garnet' sweetspire, white false indigo, lavender, pomegranate, mahonia, quince, cotoneaster, mondo, 'Becky' shasta daisy, red twig dogwood, Black Dragon cedar.

Kann: My plants that handled the drought best, appear to be:
buddleia
chamaerops humilis (Med. fan palm)
w. filifera (Calif. fan palm)
Salvias, especially gregii
veronica umbrosa
nicotinia seemed to love the drought and have produced lots of seeds and new plants
fatsia japonica
sedum (autumn joy)
coreopsis
Knockout rose
hosta Sum and Substance was amazing all summer
hedychium (Moy Giant)
Crotons
Purple Fountain grass
musa basjoo
Cannas


Many of the hostas seemed to suffer and the Butterfly Gingers.
Nearly lost a photinia, but repeated hose soakings over fall seemed to do the trick.
Gardenias were fine but did n't bloom nearly as well as normal.
Gaillardia, oddly enough, cacked.
Lace-cap hydrangea and Beautyberry were pretty weak but made it.

In between:
Lousisiana Iris, Daylilies, elephant ears, and coleus did fine but I watered them every single day.
Clematis seemed to struggle but are coming back stronger than ever now.

Made it, with a little water from the rain barrel, or no water:

Salvias, of all kinds, esp 'Hot Lips' and 'Black and Blue'
Buddleia 'Dark Knight'
Caryopteris 'Golden Jubilee'
Gaillardia
Beautyberry-American and Oriental
Solidago Rugosa (goldnerod)
Blueberries 'Patriot'
Rosa Hybrid Tea 'Gypsy'
Cl rose 'Joseph's Coat'
Echinacea 'Magnus'
Hydrangea Oak Leaf, unknown variety
Hydrangea 'Hayes Starburst'

Bit the Dust:
Geum 'Mrs Bradshaw' and 'Blazing Sunset' (lost a number of these...)
Dryopteris fern (despite the name!)
Lily of the Valley (only in ground one year, maybe that's why..)
Tiarellas--still alive, but barely
Echinaceas from the "Sun" series (Sunset, etc..)
Several varieties of Azalea, in ground only one year, and in dry area

OH OH I hoped that my foam flower (Tiarella) were just sleeping... maybe not.

Just lost one Geum (Mrs. Bradshaw) and the Buddleia and the beautyberry are still alive --but don't look so hot. (They are barely in the ground a year).

I'm really missing the Geums--they had become my favorite early bloomer. Only had one make it, and it was in a bed with only partial sun which is what saved it, I suspect (others were in full sun). Just planted 4 more, though, but doubt they will bloom this year. I have additional rain barrels this year, so can water more.