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
Botanical Name: Armeria maritima 'Dusseldorf Pride'
Botanical Name: Delosperma 'Fire Spinner'
Botanical Name: Euphorbia myrsinites
- 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
Botanical Name: Penstemon 'Dark Towers'
Botanical Name: Papaver orientale
Botanical Name: Eryngium 'Big Blue'
- 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
Botanical Name: Festuca glauca
Botanical Name: Panicum virgatum 'Prairie Fire'
Botanical Name: Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster'
- 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
Botanical Name: Epimedium 'Domino'
Botanical Name: Asarum canadense
Botanical Name: Anemone canadensis
- 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
Botanical Name: Maianthemum racemosum
Botanical Name: Polygonatum odoratum 'Variegatum'
- False Solomon’s seal (Maianthemum racemosum) – Native
- Solomon’s seal (Polygonatum biflorum) – Native
Ferns for Dry Shade
Botanical Name: Polystichum acrostichoides
Botanical Name: Dryopteris filix-mas
Botanical Name: Dryopteris marginalis
- 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