:strip_icc()/yarrow-6c631ada-616dc04c9a6d482ca8f36931f86c45aa.jpg "14 Drought-Tolerant Perennials That Can Survive Tough Summers")
These tough, flowering, drought-tolerant perennials will hold their own when summer heat and drought kick in. Their beautiful blooms will keep on coming even through a spell of dry weather. Most also attract pollinators but aren’t favorites of deer and rabbits.
Yarrow
Yarrow tolerates heat like a champ, and this easy-growing drought-tolerant perennial is also a great cut flower. Plus, deer, rabbits, and most other pests won’t touch it. The plant comes in several colors, including yellow, orange, red, pink, or white blooms, so you can choose which ones best fit your garden’s color scheme.
Name: Achillea varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and wide
Zones: 3-9
Blanket Flower
A tough prairie plant, blanket flower blooms all summer and into fall. Its flamboyant flowers are usually marked with bright shades of red and yellow. Most varieties of blanket flowers offer excellent hardiness and nonstop blooms that attract pollinators.
Name: Gaillardia varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Pineleaf Penstemon
The semi-evergreen penstemon bursts into bloom each summer, producing masses of bright scarlet-red flowers that butterflies and hummingbirds will love as much as you do. It’s a cinch to grow in any sunny spot, and this drought-tolerant perennial looks beautiful in bouquets and flower arrangements, too.
Name: Penstemon pinifolius
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-10
Agastache
You can rely on agastache to be covered in blooms throughout the summer and autumn. It comes in several colorful varieties, such as ‘Desert Sunrise’ (shown here), which offers orange blooms that feature pink and lavender tints. This drought-tolerant perennial attracts tons of hummingbirds and makes a pretty cut flower, too.
Name: Agastache varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-10
Sedum
Hundreds of sedum varieties are available; almost everyone is a tough, drought-resistant perennial flowering plant. Most varieties are grown for their blooms, though you can find some, like ‘Frosty Morn,’ that have beautifully variegated foliage. No matter which type you plant, the fleshy, succulent leaves will help sedum hold on to water through any dry spells.
Name: Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
Russian Sage
One of the toughest drought-tolerant perennials, Russian sage offers fragrant silvery foliage and plumes of violet-purple blooms. Taller varieties are great for the back of the border. Not only is it heat and drought-resistant, but deer, rabbits, and most other pests steer clear of it.
Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Bush Sage
An all-around tough beauty, bush sage is a species of salvia that grows well in a range of conditions, produces colorful flowers, and attracts hummingbirds. Plus, it’s a drought-resistant perennial, too. What’s not to love? ‘Raspberry Delight’ is one cultivar that offers gorgeous raspberry-red flowers over a long season: From late spring to early fall.
Name: Salvia ‘Raspberry Delight’
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 6-10
Meadow Sage
Another variety of salvia, meadow sage produces eye-catching clusters of violet-blue flowers from midsummer to early fall. This drought-resistant perennial plant is also a favorite of pollinators and will help attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
Name: Salvia ‘May Night’
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 28 inches tall
Zones: 5-9
Mojave Sage
Among the most beautiful perennial salvias, Mojave sage produces wands of pink blooms that look good from summer well into fall. Even when not in bloom, its gray-green foliage is stunning, so you can enjoy this drought-resistant plant in every season. Native to the hills of California, Mojave sage pairs well with other salvias, lavender, penstemon, and plenty of other drought-tolerant perennials.
Name: Salvia pachyphylla
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Lavender
This drought-tolerant perennial plant has it all: Lavender looks beautiful, smells amazing, and it’s as tough as nails (except in soggy soil). Enjoy the blue, lavender, purple, or white flowers in summer, and you can even pick some for drying and using in crafts.
Name: Lavandula angustifolia
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Lamb’s Ears
An easy-to-grow ground cover, lamb’s ears has soft, fuzzy leaves. Their silvery tone helps them complement just about any plant in the garden, and despite its cuddly name, this drought-tolerant perennial is tough. Beware, though: Lamb’s ear can spread quickly in rich soil, but it’s easy to pull up any plants you don’t want.
Name: Stachys byzantina
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
Globe Thistle
One of the best flowers many gardeners may not have heard of, globe thistle produces round, metallic-blue flowers throughout the summer. Its interesting blooms are perfect for drying and using in dried-flower projects and other crafts. Plus, it’s a cinch to grow with little watering.
Name: Echinops ‘Blue Globe’
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Purple Coneflower
It’s easy to see why purple coneflower is such a popular plant. This resilient, drought-tolerant perennial blooms much of the summer, producing tons of pinkish-purple blooms that hold up really well in bouquets. Or, if you leave them in the garden, they’ll attract scores of butterflies.
Name: Echinacea purpurea
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Amsonia
A tough yet underused perennial, amsonia produces clusters of sky-blue flowers in late spring. It’s not just a one-season wonder, though. In autumn, its foliage turns brilliant shades of gold—enough to rival many trees when they put on their fall finery.
Name: Amsonia ciliata
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
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