Sorry about talking all ‘doctory’ on you.  What’s that word?  “Xeriscape”?  Simply put, it’s all about Drought-Tolerant plants.  

If you have sandy soil, or if you do not have an irrigation system, or you have lots of sun and wind, you will be wise to think about using XERISCAPE PLANTS in your landscaping.

The hardiness zone where we do most of our landscaping work is in “Hardiness Zone 4”.

One good idea is to consider native plants that have the best advantage to survive in your area.  But the main idea is to implement plants that will survive in your yard almost no matter what.  Choose plants that will survive the winter and harsh conditions including drought.  Using xeriscape plants can keep your utility bills down and help conserve resources too.  We’re not saying that you’ll never need to water these kinds of plants…of course you will.  Especially while they are getting established and during extended periods of drought, but they have a much higher survivability rate than plants that require a consistent moisture in the soil.  

Here’s a list of a few plants to consider using that are hardy in Zone 4:

Perennials:

• Russian Sage
• Agastache
• Prairie Coneflower
• Yarrow
• Coreopsis
• Bee Balm
• Coreopsis

Trees and Shrubs:

• Blue Spruce
• Mugo Pine
• Juniper
• Lilac
• Privet

With careful plant choices, you can have landscaping that will tolerate very harsh conditions.

Now, if you have wet conditions or boggy areas, then this list is not for you.  But, if you have dry, harsh conditions, then we suggest you think about XERISCAPING!