Low Water Needs Plants

I have a very dry garden. In the summer the grass dries up and dust rises. I water the roses and the trees and most everything else is left to grow or die on its own. It's not that I want it that way, but water use is restricted in my area. The cost of watering anything, including people, is very high.

When we moved the mailboxes to our side of the property it looked so bare. My hubbie helped me make a barrel garden next to the mailboxes. Time passed and the mailboxes were sunk in another barrel garden next to the first. My neighbor planted wildflowers, which sometimes look more like weeds in her barrel. I planted all sorts of things in my barrel, but nothing survived the hot, dry summers.

Then, in a moment of inspiration I planted three 2-inch pots of succulents in the garden. Succulents are known for storing water in their trunks and leaves. Those succulents have been growing for a few years. They've grown big and tall.



This year we had a lot of rain in nice, measured amounts. What does a succulent do when there's plenty of water? Unless the roots have rotted from being too wet, not a likely scenario in a barrel garden, succulents grow while the water is available. I have three spikes of yellow blooms on the dark colored one. The stripy green and yellow one has "flowers" as big as dinner plates. It's quite a show.

The flower spikes are taller than the mail box. They look so unusual. I should also point out that if that dark succulent were growing in shade or part shade, it would be green with a dark edge on its leaves.

Enjoy. Marilynne