As we mentioned last week,
this season's snowpack is down significantly in some areas of the
state. Since no one can accurately predict how much moisture we'll get
this spring, let's take a look at a few perennials that grow well
despite a lack of moisture.
Blue Flax is an
extremely hardy little flower, growing in large clumps of small,
cup-like flowers. It grows best in full sun and tolerates poor soil
conditions and tough winters. Flowers are short-lived, so seeds should
be sown in mass, but the plants continue to produce flowers May through
September. Plants grown about 2 ½ feet tall and are branched, slender,
and arise from a woody base. The thin, green stems feature multiple
leaves with tender, sky-blue round-petaled flowers. Blue flax was
collected in 1806 in Montana by the Lewis and Clark expedition and the
scientific name given to the plant includes is Linum lewisii,
named after Captain Lewis.
Purple Coneflower
is a colorful, showy flower that's attractive to bees, butterflies and
some birds, like goldfinches. These tall plants, which grow 2 to 4 feet
tall, with their lovely, large pink to purple flowerheads, make a
wonderful addition to one's cutting garden and beautiful bouquets in a
vase. It does well in both full sun and some shade. Flowers bloom
throughout the summer and into the fall. Leaving the plant stalks in
your garden can help attract and feed birds that eat the seeds from the
conehead. Known as Echinacea, some people use the plant for herbal
medicinal purposes, and in the wild, the number of these plants has
dramatically decreased because of this.
Another loving hardy
purple flower is the Purple Foxglove. A stately plant, foxglove
grows up to 4 feet tall and features a leafy stalk with a spike of
bell-shaped flowers. Oftentimes the flowers are purple, but they can
also be pink or white, and feature spots on the inside bottom. Foxglove
grows in partial shade. Poisonous, this plant should not be consumed
by anything other than bees and butterflies.
Blanket Flower is a
colorful member of the Aster family that is an excellent choice for the
cutting garden. This extremely hardy 1.5 to 2-foot tall plant boasts
colorful flowers composed of red rays tipped in yellow. The showy
flowers bloom from May to September and are great attractants for
butterflies. It is drought tolerant; in fact, the soil should be allowed
to dry out before subsequent watering. This great plant thrives in
full sun. It's easily propagated by seed or root cuttings and will
naturalize forming clumps or colonies.
There are a large number
of beautiful, drought-resistant perennials you can plant to enhance your
landscape despite a lack of moisture. You can raise beautiful flowers
that do well in our climate and will continue to thrive in spite of low
moisture, if that's what we experience this summer.
For a listing of other
great plants and information on growing these lovely flowers, CLICK
HERE. 
