PLANTS FOR HOT, DRY GARDENS

CATEGORIES:  Annuals & Perennials |  Shrubs & Climbers |  Trees

Water efficient or drought resistant plants are important in areas with low rainfall. They also become sought after plants for general gardens when climatic conditions with lower rainfall prevail.

As water becomes scarce these tough plants will no doubt become more significant in many gardens. Many of the plants listed below are indigenous:

ANNUALS & PERENNIALS

* Aloe  ‘Hedgehog’ CLUMP-FORMING ALOE	Barleria repens DWARF BUSH VIOLET	Bulbine abyssinica BUSHY BULBINE
	E I	E I
Catharanthus roseus VINCA	Celosia plumose COCK’S COMB	Cotyledon orbiculata PIG’S EAR
E	E	E I
Crassula multicava FAIRY CRASSULA	Crassula capitella CAMPFIRE CRASSSULA	Echeveria elegans ROCK ROSE
E I	E I	E
Escholtzia californica CALIFORNIAN POPPY	Gazania x hybrida STAR FLOWERS	Graptopetalum paraguayense MOTHER OF PEARL
E	E I	E
Kalanchoe pumila MAUVE FLOWERED KALANCHOE	Kalanchoe sexangularis RED LEAF KALANCHOE	Kleinia fulgens CORAL SENECIO
E	E I	E I
Osteospermum x hybrida AFRICAN DAISY	Pelargonium x hybrida GERANIUM	Plectranthus neochilus LOBSTER FLOWER
E I	E I	E I
Portulaca oleracea PURSLANE	Porulacaria afra ‘Nana’ DWARF PORK BUSH	Sansevieria hahnii SNAKESKIN PLANT
E	E I	E
Sansevieria hyacinthoides MOTHER-IN-LAW’S TONGUE	Sedum rupestre ‘Angelina’ STONE CROP	Verbena x hybrid VERBENA
E I	E	E

* Aloe ‘Hedgehog’ (clump forming aloe) : there are many different aloes all suitable for dry gardens.

EVERGREEN:  Plants that retain their green leaves throughout the year.
INDIGENOUS:  Plants that originate or occur naturally in a place; native.

SHRUBS & CLIMBERS

Adenium multiflorum IMPALA LILY	Agave attenuata SWAN’S NECK	Agave angustifolia ‘Variegata’ CENTURY PLANT
D I	E	E
*Aloe arborescens KRANTZ ALOE	Aloe ferox BITTER ALOE	Aloe rupestris BOTTLEBRUSH ALOE
E I T	E I T	E I
Aloe tenuior CLIMBING ALOE	Barleria albostellata GREY BARLERIA	Beschorneria bracteata GREEN FLOWERED BESCHORNERIA
E I C	E I	E
Crassula arborescens SILVER JADE PLANT	Crassula ovata DOLLAR PLANT	Ehretia rigida PUZZLE BUSH
E I	E I
Euphorbia grandicornis COW HORN	Euphorbia pulcherrima POINSETTIA	Euphorbia tirucalli ‘Sticks of Fire’ INDIAN TREE SPURGE
E I T	D	E I
Euphorbia trigona AFRICAN MILK TREE	Gardenia thunbergia WHITE GARDENIA	Jatropha integerrima SPICY JATROPHA
E I T	D I	D
Jatropha podagrica BOTTLE PLANT	Oncoba spinosa SNUFF BOX TREE	Pachypodium lamerei MADAGASCAR BOTTLE TREE
D	E I	D T
Pachypodium saundersiae BOTTLE TREE	Pedilanthus tithymaloides ZIG ZAG PLANT	Portulacaria afra PORK BUSH
D I T	D	E I
Senecio macroglossus WAX VINE	Tetradenia riparia MISTY PLUME BUSH	Vernonia colorata LOWVELD BITTER TEA
E I C	D I	D I
Yucca elephantipes PALM LILY
E

* Aloe arborescens – most aloes are drought resistant.

DECIDUOUS:  Plants that shed or lose foliage annually at the end of their growing season.
EVERGREEN:  Plants that retain their green leaves throughout the year.
INDIGENOUS:  Plants that originate or occur naturally in a place; native.
CLIMBER: Plants that have a tendancy to climb or creep up trees or other tall objects.
THORNS:  Planst that have thorny stems, leaves or branches.

TREES

Aloe barberae TREE ALOE	Beaucarnea recurvata PONYTAIL PALM	Bolusanthus speciosus TREE WISTERIA
E I T	E	D I
Commiphora harveyi RED STEM CORKWOOD	Dombeya rotundifolia WILD PEAR	Dovyalis caffra KEI APPLE
D I	D I	D I T F
Dracaena draco DRAGON TREE	Erythrina caffra COAST CORAL TREE	Erythrina latissima BROAD LEAF CORAL TREE
E	D I T	D I T
Erythrina lysistemon COMMON CORAL TREE	Ochna natalitia MICKEY MOUSE BUSH	Peltophorum africanum WEEPING WATTLE
D I T	ED I	D I
Plumeria rubra FRANGIPANI	Schotia brachypetala WEEPING BOER BEAN	Senegalia galpinii MONKEY THORN
D	E I	D I T
Spirostachys Africana TAMBOTI	Vachellia karoo SWEET THORN	Vachellia nilotica SCENTED THORN
D I	D I T	D I T

DECIDUOUS:  Plants that shed or lose foliage annually at the end of their growing season.
EVERGREEN:  Plants that retain their green leaves throughout the year.
INDIGENOUS:  Plants that originate or occur naturally in a place; native.
THORNS:  Plants that have thorny stems, leaves or branches.
FRUIT:  Plants that bear fruit.

Whilst every care and caution has been taken in compiling these lists in terms of correctness and accuracy, Blackwood’s, nor any of their employees can be held liable or responsible if any of the recommendations are found to be incorrect in any way whatsoever. They are merely a guide to help gardeners and staff in finding solutions to gardening problems. All plants listed may not be available for sale at times. They do however all grow in the greater Pietermaritzburg area and surrounding districts and are to be found growing successfully in gardens.