Missed a few favorites in our last list? We’ve got you covered. This follow-up guide explores 15 more drought-tolerant plants that bring color, texture, and resilience to your garden—all while using less water.
Whether you’re looking to expand your dry-climate landscape or need ideas for low-maintenance ground covers, shrubs, herbs, or vines, these picks are perfect for hot, dry conditions. Let’s start with the fragrant, functional category of herbs.
💡 For even more water-wise inspiration, explore the companion guide: 31 Best Drought-Tolerant Plants for a Colorful, Low-Maintenance Garden, featuring vibrant perennials, annuals, and striking cacti.
🌿 Drought-Tolerant Herbs
These aromatic plants are as practical as they are pretty. Drought-tolerant herbs not only thrive in minimal water, but they also attract pollinators and enhance your cooking and garden design.
1. Rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis)
With its woody stems and needle-like leaves, rosemary adds structure and scent to any dry garden. It’s incredibly drought-hardy once established and produces tiny blue flowers that attract bees. Use it as a low hedge, ground cover, or in containers.
🍳 Bonus: Snip a few sprigs for your kitchen—it’s perfect for roasted vegetables and bread!
2. Oregano (Origanum vulgare)
Oregano is a sun-loving, low-growing herb that thrives in dry, poor soil. It spreads easily and offers tiny purple flowers that bring bees and butterflies to your yard. It’s great for edging pathways or filling in bare spots.
🌿 A delicious companion plant that also deters pests.
3. Sage (Salvia officinalis)
Sage is both ornamental and culinary, with silvery-green leaves and lovely purple blooms. It handles heat and drought with ease, making it an excellent choice for herb beds or pollinator gardens.
🐝 Pro tip: Sage pairs beautifully with lavender and thyme in a dry herb border.
4. Lavender (Lavandula spp.)
Lavender is a garden all-star with its calming fragrance, spiky purple flowers, and love for dry climates. It thrives in sandy, well-draining soil and adds romantic color to garden borders, paths, and containers.
💜 Cut and dry blooms for homemade sachets or tea.
🌾 Drought-Tolerant Ornamental Grasses
Ornamental grasses are a must-have for dry landscapes. They’re not only resilient and beautiful, but they also require very little water, bring year-round interest, and thrive in tough soils.
5. Feather Grass (Stipa tenuissima)
Also known as Mexican feather grass, this fine-textured ornamental sways beautifully in the breeze. Its wispy, green-blonde blades create a dreamy effect in garden borders and rock gardens.
🌬️ Best planted en masse for a soft, flowing look in full sun.
6. Blue Grama Grass (Bouteloua gracilis)
This native North American grass features quirky seed heads that resemble tiny eyelashes. It’s ideal for prairie-style landscapes, offering texture and blue-green color with minimal water needs.
🌾 A hardy choice for erosion control on slopes and dry meadows.
7. Fountain Grass (Pennisetum setaceum)
Fountain grass is known for its cascading, arching blades and showy flower plumes in purple or pink. It loves dry soil and sunshine, adding drama and movement to beds, borders, or containers.
💧 Low water use and fast-growing—perfect for adding volume to sparse areas.
🌿 Drought-Tolerant Vines
Vines are perfect for softening hardscapes, adding privacy, or bringing bursts of color to vertical spaces. The following options flourish with minimal water and are great for sunny exposures.
8. Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans)
This vigorous climber produces bold, trumpet-shaped flowers in fiery orange, red, or yellow. It’s a hummingbird magnet and thrives in heat, poor soil, and dry conditions. Just be sure to give it space—it can grow aggressively.
🐦 Great for covering pergolas or creating a floral privacy screen.
9. Clematis (Clematis spp.)
Clematis vines offer large, show-stopping blooms in shades of purple, white, and pink. While they like cool roots and warm tops, they’re surprisingly drought-tolerant once established—especially when mulched and grown in well-draining soil.
🌼 Train it on trellises or fences for dramatic vertical color.
10. Morning Glory (Ipomoea spp.)
With its fast-growing vines and trumpet-shaped blooms, morning glory brings vibrant hues of blue, purple, and pink to dry gardens. It self-seeds readily and does well in full sun with little water once mature.
🌞 Ideal for chain-link fences, arbors, and mailboxes.
🌳 Drought-Tolerant Shrubs
Shrubs are the anchors of a sustainable garden. These tough, heat-loving varieties thrive in dry soil and require minimal upkeep, making them ideal for borders, hedges, or mass plantings.
11. Russian Sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
With its silvery stems and soft lavender-blue flowers, Russian sage brings airy texture and fragrance to dry gardens. It’s a pollinator magnet and performs beautifully in full sun and poor soil.
🐝 Combine with warm-toned flowers for a stunning contrast.
12. Lantana (Lantana camara)
Lantana is a vibrant, flowering shrub that loves heat and drought. It blooms nonstop in warm weather, with clusters of flowers in pink, yellow, red, and orange. It also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds.
🌺 Perfect for sunny slopes or containers where color is key.
13. Texas Sage (Leucophyllum frutescens)
This hardy native of the Southwest features silvery-green leaves and bursts of purple flowers—often after a rain. Texas sage tolerates extreme heat and poor soil, making it one of the toughest drought-tolerant shrubs out there.
💜 Use it as a natural hedge or in desert-style gardens.
🪴 Bonus: Drought-Tolerant Succulents
Succulents are not just trendy—they’re tough, water-wise plants that come in striking forms and colors. These two standout varieties thrive in hot, dry environments and require very little care once established.
14. Aloe Vera (Aloe barbadensis miller)
Aloe is a multi-purpose succulent with thick, fleshy leaves filled with healing gel. It thrives in dry, sandy soil and loves full sun or light shade. Great for containers, borders, or xeriscapes, aloe also adds a soothing, architectural look to your garden.
🌞 Medicinal and beautiful—just don’t overwater it!
15. Agave (Agave spp.)
Agave makes a bold statement with its large, spiky rosettes and geometric shape. Native to arid regions, agave is built for survival—storing water in its thick leaves and thriving in full sun with almost no maintenance.
🌵 Use as a focal point in dry landscapes or modern desert designs.
💧 Final Tips: Water-Wise Gardening for Lasting Success
Even the most drought-tolerant plants need the right care to establish strong roots and thrive in the long run. Here are some expert-approved watering strategies to make your low-water garden truly sustainable:
✅ Water Deep and Infrequently
- Encourage deep root growth by watering less often but more thoroughly.
- Avoid shallow, frequent watering, which promotes weak roots.
✅ Mulch Matters
- Apply 2–3 inches of mulch around your plants to conserve moisture, reduce evaporation, and suppress weeds.
- Organic mulch also improves soil health over time.
✅ Water Early or Late
- Watering in the early morning or evening reduces evaporation and ensures plants can absorb moisture efficiently.
✅ Group Plants by Water Needs
- Keep high-water and low-water plants in separate zones. This makes irrigation more efficient and prevents overwatering.
✅ Install Drip Irrigation
- Drip systems or soaker hoses deliver water right to the roots with minimal waste, especially in large or sloped areas.
✅ Reuse and Collect Rainwater
- Capture rain runoff in barrels or tanks for future use.
- Where legal, graywater systems (like water from washing produce) can also be used for irrigation.
🌟 Conclusion
With the right mix of drought-tolerant plants and a smart watering strategy, your garden can thrive in even the hottest, driest conditions. These 15 plants—ranging from herbs and grasses to vines and shrubs—offer beauty, resilience, and sustainability for every style of outdoor space.
By planning with water efficiency in mind, you’ll not only save time and resources, but also create a garden that flourishes naturally, season after season.