Drought-Tolerant Perennials

July 10, 2025

Written by The Eising Team

Dealing with water restrictions or choosing to conserve water? You’re not alone. Many gardeners in Norfolk County are facing the challenge of keeping gardens thriving with less water. The good news? A lush, colourful garden is still within reach—thanks to drought-tolerant perennials.

When we think of drought-tolerant plants, cacti might be the first thing that comes to mind. But there’s a surprising variety of beautiful, hardy perennials that can handle our region’s dry spells—no desert landscape required.

While these plants do need regular watering when first planted, once established, they’re low-maintenance and well-suited to Southern Ontario’s climate, including periods of limited rainfall.

Full Sun Ground Cover

j760 21 — Common Name: **Dusseldorf Pride Sea Thrift**
Botanical Name: *Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'*

j532 17 — Common Name: **Dusseldorf Pride Sea Thrift**
Botanical Name: *Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'*

Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens)
Catmint (Nepeta x faassenii)
Hardy ice plant (Delosperma nubigenum)
Hens and chicks (Sempervivum tectorum)
Moss phlox, creeping phlox (Phlox subulata)
Pincushion flower (Scabiosa japonica var. alpina) (S. ‘Butterfly Blue’)
Pinks (Dianthus alpinus)
Rock cress, wall cress (Arabis species)
Rock rose, sun rose (Helianthemum hybrids)
Spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites) (E. polychroma)
Stonecrop (Sedum acre) - dwarf varieties
Thrift, sea pink (Armeria maritima)
Thyme (Thymus species)

Full Sun, Medium to Tall Plants

j285 22 — Common Name: **Dark Towers Beard Tongue**
Botanical Name: *Penstemon 'Dark Towers'*

f043 22 — Common Name: **Dark Towers Beard Tongue**
Botanical Name: *Penstemon 'Dark Towers'*

Beard-tongue (Penstemon digitalis) – Native
Bergenia (Bergenia crassifolia)
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) – Native
Blanket flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
Butterflyweed (Asclepias tuberosa) – Native
False indigo, wild indigo (Baptisia australis)
Hairy penstemon (Penstemon hirsutus) – Native
Lanceleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis lanceolata) – Native
Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm’)
Perennial cornflower (Centaurea montana)
Poppy (Papaver species)
Purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
Prickly pear cactus (Opuntia compressa) – Native
Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
Salvia (Salvia nemerosa hybrids)
Sea Holly (Eryngium species)
Silver sage, wormwood (Artemisia ludoviciana)
Threadleaf coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata) – Native
Yarrow (Achillea millefolium)

Full Sun Grasses

f130 05 — Common Name: **Blue Fescue**
Botanical Name: *Festuca glauca*

h155 04 — Common Name: **Blue Fescue**
Botanical Name: *Festuca glauca*

Big bluestem (Andropogon gerardii) – Native
Blue fescue (Festuca glauca)
Blue oat grass (Helictotrichon sempervirens)
Feather reed grass (Calamagrostis x acutiflora ‘Karl Foerster’)
Little blue stem (Schizachyrium scoparium) – Native
Switch grass (Panicum virgatum) – Native

Groundcover for Shade

j517 23 — Common Name: **Domino Barrenwort**
Botanical Name: *Epimedium 'Domino'*

f358 25 — Common Name: **Domino Barrenwort**
Botanical Name: *Epimedium 'Domino'*

Barrenwort (Epimedium hybrids)
Bigroot geranium (Geranium macrorrhizum)
Canada anemone (Anemone canadensis) – Native
Creeping phlox (Phlox stolonifera)
Sweet Woodruff (Galium odoratum)
Wild ginger (Asarum canadense) – Native
Woodland phlox (Phlox divaricata) – Native

Medium to Tall Plants for Shade

g865 13 — Common Name: **False Solomon's Seal**
Botanical Name: *Maianthemum racemosum*

j769 20 — Common Name: **False Solomon's Seal**
Botanical Name: *Maianthemum racemosum*

False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – Native
Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) – Native

Ferns for Dry Shade

f273 09 — Common Name: **Christmas Fern**
Botanical Name: *Polystichum acrostichoides*

g070 10 — Common Name: **Christmas Fern**
Botanical Name: *Polystichum acrostichoides*

Christmas fern (Polystichum acrostichoides) – Native
Hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) – Native
Marginal wood fern (Dryopteris marginalis) – Native
Male fern (Dryopteris filix-mas) – Native
Rock fern (Polypodium virginianum) – Native

A Little TLC

It doesn’t take much to keep drought-tolerant plants thriving—just a little attention and some seasonal TLC. While they’re tough, even these hardy perennials appreciate an occasional deep watering during extended dry spells, especially in their first year.

For sun-loving perennials, skip the heavy fertilizers. Instead, an annual layer of compost is all they need to stay healthy and strong.

Shade-loving drought-tolerant plants, on the other hand, benefit from a layer of mulch. This helps retain moisture and reduces evaporation, especially in dry shade, which is one of the most challenging conditions for any plant to thrive in.

And don’t forget to deadhead regularly! Removing spent blooms encourages your plants to keep producing flowers instead of going to seed, meaning more colour, for longer.

With a few simple care tips, your drought-tolerant garden can remain beautiful and resilient throughout the entire season.

Other resources:

Landscape Ontario: Eight Beautiful Drought Tolerant Plants
Toronto Master Gardeners: Drought Tolerant Plants
Guelph.ca: Drought Tolerant Native Plants

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