The summer's drought teaches Garden Guy valuable lesson in tolerance and not over-pampering

Last Friday, Saturday and Sunday my area was fluctuating with 78 to 90-plus percentages for chances of rain. Indeed, it was overcast and dreary with mist over the three-day period, however, there were no drought relieving downpours at the Garden Guy’s house.

The next drought monitor map or report will be Thursday but most aren’t expecting major changes. My friend Dr. Allen Owings said they had good rains in Louisiana, 3 to 5 inches in areas, but the university lakes at Louisiana State are bone dry.

With rains being almost non-existent for much of the South and Southeast regions this past summer, many of us have gone back to thinking about tough plants as well as water conservation. I was perusing my photos from last summer and was astounded at the beautiful flowers. The reason being, I felt like I worked my a** off. It was a most miserable summer.

But while azaleas were flagging or dying over here and hydrangeas wilting over there, some darn tough perennials and annuals were strutting their stuff as "all-stars of the drought." I have written about many of these over the past couple of years but never from the standpoint of simply being a tough summer survivor.

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I’m in the hot humid southeast, so I have always picked out flowers that could take the heat, that were beautiful and brought in pollinators. Never did I consider drought tolerance. I am usually way more concerned if I have good enough drainage, so the plants don’t drown. We don’t have droughts here.

That is until this year.

The all-stars of the drought did so well they taught me a lesson: I have been pampering plants too much. An example is the new Meant to Bee Queen Nectarine and Royal Raspberry agastache. They relished this past summer so much so that they have formed tight clumps forecasting great things come spring. The same holds true for Upscale Red Velvet and Pink Chenille bee balm as well as the Color Coded echinacea, all of which have native DNA throughout.

One plant that has continually outperformed all expectations is Augusta Lavender heliotrope. I have it planted in a horrid location on the side of a slope that is impossible to water even when it is not in drought. But it thrived and is even blooming now in December. Augusta Lavender heliotrope is simply amazing and perennial in zone 8 and warmer.

The Luscious lantanas may be the toughest flowers on the planet and the Captains of our All Stars of the Drought team. I am in year 4 with Luscious Royale Cosmo, Marmalade, Golden Gate, Citron and Citrus Blend. I have never seen one wilt. They seemed to celebrate the heat and drought of 2023 with their gorgeous blooms.

Rockin Playin’ the Blues salvia was a champion in every location I planted it as well as those in which my son James used it. I wrote this column on Dec. 4, and they are blooming. The blue is simply the most riveting color in the landscape. It stands to reason that this is a rugged perennial in zones 7 and warmer, as both of its parents are native to Mexico, Texas, and New Mexico.

Lastly you have to give a salute to Truffula Pink gomphrena. These too are forming a tight clump making me think they just might return in the spring even though it is considered an annual in my area. I’ve been guilty of pampering this award winner too but will reel in the luxuriant water supply on all of these, next year.

While these all-stars of the drought taught me something, a frightening thought occurred to me. What if it is like this next year? What if we are in a period like Colorado found themselves in the late 1970s? This is precisely what led to the Denver Water Department developing the term “xeriscape” in 1981 along with its seven core principles.

Most of us have felt like droughts will never really affect us. Unfortunately, many find themselves in one now and no one knows when it will subside. The Drought Monitor Map shows this experience to be an epic-like event. With the severe drought still on us, should we reconsider our landscape design, plant selection and irrigation methods for 2024?

You bet!

The all-stars of the drought I mentioned above is a good place to start for beauty, toughness and pollinators.

Follow Norman Winter on Facebook @NormanWinterTheGardenGuy for more photos and garden inspiration. See more columns by Norman at SavannahNow.com/lifestyle/home-garden/.

This article originally appeared on Savannah Morning News: Georgia garden guy shares which perennials are drought-tolerant