Save Water in the Garden with Drought-Tolerant Native Plants

Slash water use and simplify plant care with these drought-resistant native plants!

Most of the soil in Maine has a high concentration of sand, which helps gardens warm up more quickly in spring but also causes soils to drain fast during the peak of summer heat. If you’re not careful, summer plants can rapidly dry out and start to wilt, and popular ornamentals, like petunias, may need to be watered once or even twice a day to keep them looking lush! Luckily, there are lots of drought-tolerant native plants that thrive in Maine gardens, and planting these easygoing beauties can make gardens much easier to maintain even when rainfall is scarce. If you want to reduce watering needs, conserve water, and simplify garden chores, try growing some of the drought-tolerant Maine natives listed below!

1. Wild Bee Balm (Monarda fistulosa)

Also known as wild bergamot, bee balm is a common sight in dry and sunny fields, although this adaptable plant can tolerate part shade and moist soil too. In Maine, you’re most likely to find bee balm plants with sprays of lavender-hued flowers, which are especially attractive to native bees but appeal to other pollinators as well. Established bee balm plants often don’t need supplemental water, and dry conditions can help to prevent powdery mildew, which affects bee balm leaves!

2. Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)

Common milkweed and butterfly milkweed (photos courtesy of Cathy Rees and Martha B. Moss, respectively) are two native types of milkweed that thrive in dry soil and lots of sun. Both of these plants serve as hosts for monarch caterpillars, but they attract other pollinators with their nectar-rich flowers, too. Thanks to their long tap root systems, milkweed plants can access water deep in the soil and they often don’t need supplemental water once established.

3. Yellow Wild Indigo (Baptisia tinctoria)

Wild indigo is sometimes used to create a natural blue dye, but these days, indigo plants are mostly cultivated as ornamentals in native gardens and pollinator habitats. This summer-blooming native serves as a host for several butterfly species, and its profusion of canary yellow flowers appeals to pollinators of all sorts. Like milkweed, wild indigo has a long tap root to resist drought, but its roots also fix nitrogen into the soil like other legume plants!

4. Asters (Aster spp.)

Maine has a number of native aster species, including smooth aster, calico aster, and heart-leaf aster, which thrive in medium to dry soils. These plants have a similar, daisy-like look, although their delicate petals range in color from lavender to white, and they differ slightly in bloom time and size. An important food source for late season pollinators, asters flower in fall after many plants have faded for the season and they pair especially well with other late bloomers, like goldenrod.

5. Eastern Red Columbine (Aquilegia canadensis)

Wild columbines are often found in the partial shade along forest margins, but they’re also a solid choice for shade gardens with dry soil. In Maine, red columbine flowers typically last from May to June and their bright color and tubular shape is especially attractive to hummingbirds. Like many other native plants, columbines get leggy and develop weak stems in overly rich soil, so don’t overdo it with fertilizer or compost!

6. Goldenrod (Solidago spp.)

Asters’ classic companion, goldenrod is an autumn bloomer that’s well-known for its cheery yellow flowers, which vary in shape and size depending on the plant species. These native plants are often harvested for natural dyes, but their nectar-filled flowers are irresistible to bees, fireflies, and other pollinators. Goldenrod plants are commonly confused with the similar-looking ragweed plant; however, goldenrod will not cause seasonal allergies as its pollen grains are too heavy to be carried by the wind.

7. Woodland Sunflower (Helianthus divaricatus)

A native alternative to the common sunflower, woodland sunflowers are adaptable plants that tolerate a range of conditions but are especially well-suited for dry, well-draining soil. Like other sunflowers, native woodland sunflowers produce bright yellow flowers toward the end of summer, but they are perennial plants that will come back year after year if you let them. Just be sure to provide woodland sunflowers with plenty of room to grow since established plants form colonies and can stretch up to 7 feet tall!

8. Sweet Fern (Comptonia peregrina)

Despite their name, sweet ferns aren’t ferns at all and they actually belong to the bayberry family. This explains why sweet ferns don’t crave moisture the way true ferns do and why these plants rarely need supplemental water once established! Like true ferns, sweet ferns have feathery leaves that can be used as backdrops for lower growing plants, but these plants also produce curious, ball-shaped catkins in summer, which serve as food sources for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife.

9. Bush Honeysuckle (Diervilla lonicera)

Bush honeysuckle is a medium-sized, deciduous shrub that grows between 2 and 5 feet tall and produces green to bronze leaves and bright yellow flowers during the summer months. An excellent choice for hedgerows, bush honeysuckle can also be used as a backdrop plant in garden beds or grown in pollinator habitats to entice hummingbird moths, bumblebees, and other wildlife. While bush honeysuckle has a good deal of drought tolerance, it can also handle heavy snow loads and occasional flooding, and it doesn’t grow invasively like Japanese honeysuckle vines.

10. Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana)

If you’re looking for a no-nonsense groundcover for a sunny, dry spot, look no further than wild strawberries. These plants produce charming white flowers and edible fruit that’s smaller than cultivated strawberries but still plenty tasty. Songbirds love wild strawberries, but these plants are also ideal for blocking weeds and filling in bare sections of soil where water-loving plants won’t take.

Other Ways to Save Water

Growing drought tolerant native plants is one way to conserve soil moisture and reduce watering needs in the garden. But there are other techniques that can be used to slash water use, such as:

adding mulch. Natural mulches, like chopped autumn leaves, bark mulch, wood chips, and pine needles slow moisture evaporation rates and reduce watering needs. Applying a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch once a year in spring or fall will keep gardens looking trim and prevent weeds as well!
watering at the right time. Water evaporates faster during the middle of the day, which makes it harder for plants to absorb the moisture they need. Watering early in the morning gives plants more time to absorb water and makes it harder for powdery mildew to invade.
installing drip irrigation. Sprinkler systems lose a lot of water to evaporation and overspray, but drip irrigation directs water straight to plant roots. For even easier watering, drip irrigation lines can be attached to a timer for fully automated watering and even easier plant care.