I would do Nandina or Heavenly Bamboo, it is drought tolerant. Also crocosmia would be nice as well, it has summer flowers. Iris is always good, has green leaves most of the year. Most native plants would work too. Good luck!

Japanese Holly, Mugo Pine, Hens and Chicks, Kousa Dogwood, Silk Tree, and Japanese Honeysuckle. But you do have to water them well for the first year or two, to get them well established.

Kellycomposter,

I was going to ask similar question about crocosmia, and found your post... :)

I got bunch of divided crocosmia (orange one), and day lilies from my friend. I have narrow planting strip in front of our house (it's between street and the drainage ditch), about 20'' wide 60' long. It's south facing, pretty sunny, no shade at all.

I dug all the weedy lawn there recently to plant something else, and was just wondering if these corcosmia and/or daylilies would survive the draught during summer.

Since I couldn't manage more than 3 times to run the weed wacker to cut down dandelions this summer, I have no confident I go there water very often...

Do you think are these plants will survive there?? I will *try* watering first summer as much as I can, but again can't promise myself... ;)

Thanks!

-b

Crocosmia and day lilies both need little watering once established. You will need to water them some in the beginning. I have both in sunny places with no shade at all.

Gosh, the list for potential candidates is huge!! Are you looking for perennials or shrubs? As mentioned, a good many native plants are very drought tolerant, but there are scads of more ornamental exotics that exhibit similar drought tolerance once established as well. "Drought tolerance" is usually defined as a plant that will survive/thrive in correct soils and light conditions with little to no supplemental watering after it has become established. That is an important consideration - drought tolerance is not immediate, even for very xeric species. Generally at least one full growing season after planting with regular deep irrigation is required, sometimes longer, depending on the species.

Personally, I lean more to the woody material when considering an Asian inspired garden - more of an emphasis on foliage and form rather than flower color. The nandina is an excellent choice. You could also consider barberries, shrub dogwoods, escallonia, hebes, elaeagnus, euonymus, Ilex species, osmanthus, myrica, pyracantha, spiraeas, selected vaccinium and viburnums. For conifers, junipers, yews and pines. For perennials, lady's mantle, hellebores, epimediums, armeria, helianthemums, euphorbias, bergenia, candytuft, west coast native iris and their hybrids and hostas (yes, hostas are very DT once established and some are very sun tolerant as well, especially PNW sun conditions). For grasses or grass-like plants, liriope, fescues, certain carex, pampas grass, miscanthus, panicum and some bamboo species all fit the low water requirements. Many spring bulbs will also work well - they appreciate our cool, damp winters and would prefer to be drier in summer - pretty much our typical natural rainfall pattern.

For a bit more broader approach, most plants with mediterranean origins tend to be quite drought tolerant, as that's their natural climate conditions as well - cool, damp winters and dry summers. Some may be a bit incongruous with an Asian style garden, but not necessarily and certainly not all. And you can always check the Sunset Western Garden book's listing of plants for dry places for additional suggestions. Also, many of the better garden centers will have info sheets or handouts listing drought tolerant species.

Gardengal, thanks for your wonderful advice to mamamagnolia. I'll be saving your list for next year's plantings.

Thank you kellycomposter for your reply. I just planted bunch of crocosmia. Will try to water next spring/summer as much as I can to encourage them to establish their root.

Thanx!
-b

One more word of advice. Drought tolerant means they'll survive with minimal water, it doesn't say they'll always look great. I've got some clumps of Crocosmia that come up every year, but barely bloom or multiply (I water them about 2 times in the summer).

So, congrats of your score of free divisions, but those things like Mugo Pine and Nandina will always perform better because they don't flower, not as disease prone as Crocosmia, and they're also evergreen. It might be a nice direction to go when you start to expand.

I've got spirea in my parking strip and water them about twice a summer. No special soil or treatment and they've stood it like a trouper, blooming every year and getting big. The downside is that I do have to prune them to keep them to parking strip size because the builder didn't put in the dwarf varieties I asked for. But they're great plants otherwise.

The caveat to Hostas is sun-TOLERANT.

I'll second the suggestion of the Species tulips. They do really well in my parking strip.

I am agree with nwnatural. I have some plants from gardengal48's list but they don't look nice when i don't water them (lady's mantle, hen-and-chicks and so on).
No i am trying to replant my sunny area with plants that are drought tolerant and nice looking through all seasons.

Grant & Grant, Garden Design Illustrated have a section where representative broad-leaved evergreen shrubs are grouped by moisture preference and foliage color. There is a yellowish green group, a dark green group, and a grayish green group indicated for hot and dry conditions. It is pointed out that the yellowish green ones and the grayish ones do not look well together, the two colorations clashing.

Excellent and unique title reprinted numerous times, 5 bucks at Half Price Books (have seen it several times) or free at libraries.