Drought resistant flowers #2 PRIMROSE, RUSSIAN SAGE

Another Drought resistant

Yarrow

Achillea selections

Yarrow is one of those plants that give a wildflower look to any garden. In fact, it is indeed a native plant and, predictably, it's easy to care
for. In some gardens, it will thrive with almost no care, making it a
good candidate for naturalistic plantings in open areas and along the
edges of wooded or other wild places.

Its colorful, flat-topped blooms rise above clusters of ferny foliage. The tough plants resist drought, are rarely eaten by deer and rabbits, and
spread moderately quickly, making yarrow a good choice for massing in
borders or as a groundcover. If deadheaded after its first flush of
blooms fade, yarrow will rebloom. If left to dry on the plant, flower
clusters of some types provide winter interest. Flowers of yarrow are
excellent either in fresh or dried arrangements.

Light:: Sun
Zones:: 3-10
Plant Type:: Perennial
Plant Height:: 6-60 inches tall
Plant Width:: 18-36 inches wide
Flower Color:: Red, yellow, gold, pink, or white flowers, depending on variety
Bloom Time:: Blooms spring, summer, and fall depending on variety
Landscape Uses:: Containers, Beds & Borders, Slopes, Groundcover
Special Features:: Flowers, Attractive Foliage, Winter Interest, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Deer Resistant, Easy
to Grow

Top Varieties

Appleblossom yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Appleblossom') is a fast-spreading plant with pale pink blooms and grayish green feathery leaves. Zones 3-9.
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Apricot Delight yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Apricot Delight') bears reddish, apricot-color blooms that fade to
lovely shades of peachy coral as they age. The long-blooming flowers
form on compact plants. Zones 3-9.
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Cerise Queen yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Cerise Queen') produces pretty, magenta-pink blooms in late spring to
early summer that hover over fernlike green foliage. Zones 3-9.
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Coronation Gold yarrow

(Achillea 'Coronation Gold') is a fern-leaf type with yellow flowers on
3-foot-tall stems that are good for drying. It forms mounds of ferny
gray foliage. Zones 3-9.
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Fernleaf yarrow

(Achillea filipendulina) offers finely cut gray-green foliage and reaches 3 to 5 feet tall. It
bears mustard-yellow flowers in mid- to late summer. Zones 3-9.
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Moonshine yarrow

(Achillea 'Moonshine') is an adaptable plant that bears pale yellow blooms on
silvery-gray foliage. It forms spreading mounds to 2 feet tall. Zones
4-8.
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Paprika yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Paprika') blooms in brilliant scarlet red with a distinctive yellow
eye. With age the flowers take on a pink hue. The plant blooms all
summer if deadheaded. Zones 3-9.
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Pink Grapefruit yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Pink Grapefruit') is a compact, vigorous plant with large domed
flowers that open deep pink and slowly change to creamy rose. Zones 3-9.
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Strawberry Seduction yarrow

(Achillea millefolium 'Strawberry Seduction') shows off velvety-red blooms with bright gold centers that fade to maize-yellow as they age. Zones 3-9.
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Woolly yarrow

(Achillea tomentosa 'Lemon') bears clear yellow flowers in early summer that appear over
the 6-inch tall foliage that's covered in soft, silvery hairs. Zones
4-8.
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Plant It With

Daylily

The spiky leaves of daylily provide a dramatic contrast to the ferny foliage of yarrow. Both are tough plants for hot, sunny locations.

Penstemon

Like yarrow, penstemon performs best in well-drained soil in a sunny location. The long spires of tubular beard tongue flowers pair nicely
with the mounded form of yarrow.

Salvia

The deep blue and purple blooms of perennial salvia look great with gold, yellow, pink or apricot-colored yarrows.

Propagation

Division
Stem Cuttings

ANOTHER ONE FOR U

Evening primrose

Oenothera selections

Rate and Comment

With brilliant yellow, pink or white cups or goblets, beautiful evening primroses are so easy to grow that you'll see them thriving and
beautiful uncared for along roadsides. Their cup-shaped flowers of
various sizes in clear yellow, white, or even pink open during the day
and many are wonderfully fragrant. Take note, though: Some spread
enthusiastically and need control.

Light:: Sun
Zones:: 3-11
Plant Type:: Perennial
Plant Height:: 6-36 inches tall, depending on variety
Plant Width:: 8-24 inches wide, depending on variety
Bloom Time:: Blooms late spring and summer to early fall, depending on variety
Landscape Uses:: Containers, Beds & Borders
Special Features:: Flowers, Attractive Foliage, Fragrant, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Easy to Grow

Top Varieties

Greencourt Lemon Missouri sundrops

(Oenothera macrocarpa 'Greencourt Lemon') has pale greeny yellow goblet flowers on red stems.
Each may reach 5 inches across. The 6-inch plants are hardy in Zones
5-8.
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Lemon Drop primrose

(Lemon Drop Oenothera) is an ultratough selection that holds up very well to heat and drought.
It flowers in spring and summer and grows 12 inches tall and 24 inches
wide. Zones 5-11
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Mexican evening primrose

(Oenothera speciosa var. childsii) is less invasive than showy evening primrose and bears 1-inch delicate
pink flowers veined in deeper pink. The 12-inch tall plants bear softly
hairy lance-shaped leaves on slender stems. Zones 5-8
view >

Garden Plans

Island Bed 2

Plant It With

Loosestrife

Blooming together over a long period, gooseneck loosestrife's upright spires contrast well with the cup-shaped flowers of evening primrose in full
sun.

Helenium

Brilliant helenium has dark reddish-orange daisies that combine well with clear yellow evening primrose in sunny places.

Daylily

Copper- and tawny-colored daylilies proved a strong contrast in form and color with evening primroses.

Russian sage

Perovskia atriplicifolia

Rate and Comment

With its tall wispy wands of lavender or blue flowers and silvery foliage, Russian sage is an important player in summer and fall gardens. It
shows off well against most flowers and provides an elegant look to
flower borders. The aromatic leaves are oblong, deeply cut along the
edges. Foot-long panicles of flowers bloom for many weeks. Excellent
drainage and full sun are ideal, although very light shade is
tolerated. Plant close to avoid staking since the tall plants tend to
flop.

Light:: Sun
Zones:: 4-9
Plant Type:: Perennial
Plant Height:: 3-5 feet tall
Plant Width:: 2.5-3 feet wide
Bloom Time:: Blooms midsummer into fall, depending on variety
Landscape Uses:: Containers, Beds & Borders, Privacy
Special Features:: Flowers, Attractive Foliage, Fragrant, Fall Color, Cut Flowers, Dried Flowers, Attracts Butterflies, Drought Tolerant, Deer Resistant, Easy
to Grow