Plants for Dry Conditions

Travelling to other countries can sometimes be a real eye opener for gardeners, because they see plants growing in climates and conditions that suit them best. It’s suddenly very easy to understand why a particular plant is struggling for survival in the backyard at home!

Burke’s Backyard visited Santa Fe in the New Mexico area, which has an elevation of about seven thousand feet, very dry air and fourteen inches of rain per year. Plants that were thriving in the dry conditions there included blue spruce (Picea pungens ‘Glauca’), lilac (Syringa vulgaris), roses and bearded iris. In Australia lilac often has to be grafted onto strong growing privet understock (mostly Ligustrum lucidum or L. ovalifolium), and bearded iris rhizomes must never be completely buried or they will rot. If you live in dry areas of Australia however, these plants will do very well. In warm humid climates it is important to provide them with perfect drainage otherwise they will be susceptible to problems such as rot and fungal infections.