Tough plants for tough locations

You imagine a gorgeous garden, but you have some challenges. A steep slope. Clay soil that drains poorly. Blazing sun and heat, exposure to wind. The list goes on and we could easily write a book in answer to each challenge.

The quick and easy answer is that there are many plants available now that are tough as nails. All of them can be planted this time of year. Here are our favourites:

EXPOSED, SUNNY, AND WINDY LOCATIONS

Stonecrop (sedum) and Hens and Chicks (sempervivum): We plant green roofs with these for a reason: they can take the heat. Drought. Our general ignorance of their existence.

Until they bloom in early summer through fall, depending on the species and variety when everyone notices them.

Choose from the ground hugging sempervivums that flower early summer to the 60 cm tall Autumn Joy sedums that flower for up to 10 weeks. All attract pollinators including honeybees and butterflies.

Russian sage (perovskia): Tall, handsome and a prolific bloomer mid-summer through early fall in blue and purple. Russian Sage is one of those plants that you can ignore all summer while you go to the cottage. Up to a metre in height, a must-have for the pollinator garden.

Purple Coneflower (echinacea): A Canadian prairie native. That is about all you need to know. Indestructible in hot, dry, windy locations. About a metre high with long blooming purple flowers. Another pollinating plant in the winner’s circle.

Lamb’s Ears (stachys): A sprawling creamy white plant that you will likely recognize the moment you see it. Matures to 50 cm wide and tall with lavender coloured flowers early to mid summer. Lamb’s ears feel like their namesake when you touch the leaf. Smooth and velvety without the lamb smell.

We note that most plants with hairy leaves tend to require less water than average as the hair itself provides insulation during hot, dry weather. A list of hairy leafed plants that fit this carefree category include geranium (both the annual and perennial), all members of the mint family, yarrow, shasta daisy, Silver mound and rudbeckia. Evergreens: It is a sweeping statement to say that all evergreens tolerate sun and heat. But it is accurate. For the best evergreens that thrive in heat and dry conditions look for junipers, pine, fir and spruce. There is a reason that Christmas trees grow best in high, sandy land like that found in the Alliston area of Ontario and the stony land of Nova Scotia.

IN THE SHADE

We recommend many of the ferns that are available for planting in our zone. Christmas fern, leather wood, ostrich, royal and fiddle head ferns are all native and reasonably tolerant of dry shade. Choose your favourites and keep in mind that they do not like clay soil generally but prefer the sort of loamy, humus-rich stuff found on the forest floor. When in doubt turn to nature as your guide.

Barrenwort (epimedium): One of Mark’s favourite shade plants for planting under trees. After years of experimenting, he has discovered that nothing quite performs like Barrenwort. Thirty centimetres high, distinct yellow flowers in later spring.

Hosta: With more than 7,000 to choose from, the hardest part is choosing your favourite. We recommend that you peruse the selection at your local garden retailer for the varieties that best suit you and keep in mind that the solid green leafed types are the most shade tolerant. Dig and divide existing specimens now if you have them.

There are other plants that are tough that we will not recommend here. Many are aggressive or invasive. Our list includes sumac, vinca periwinkle, pachysandra, lily of the valley, chokecherry, Manitoba maple and Norway maple. Some of these are even native, which does not necessarily mean that they are suitable for our urban landscapes.

Mark Cullen is an expert gardener, author, broadcaster, tree advocate and Member of the Order of Canada. His son Ben is a fourth-generation urban gardener and graduate of University of Guelph and Dalhousie University in Halifax. Follow them at markcullen.com, @markcullengardening, and on Facebook.