Water-wise gardening conserves water and helps protect the environment. A xeriscape is a “dry scene” that uses very little water, but a water-wise garden includes any style that is designed to conserve water.
Definitions
- “Tough” plants grow well in our climate, do not require frequent care, are attractive in the home landscape, and are generally available at local nurseries.
- “Water-wise” plants -- once established in adequate soil -- perform well with one inch of water per month or less (perhaps more in 90-degree temperatures and when younger).
- Full sun: 6 or more hours of direct sun
- Light shade/part sun: about 4 hours of direct sun, a short-term opening to the sky or low sun early or late in the day
- Filtered light or dappled shade: in irregular shadows of thin-leafed or tall, open trees; about ½ the sky shows through the canopy
- Open shade: fully exposed to sky but with little direct sun, such as on the north side of buildings
- Deep shade: under dense-leafed trees with less than ¼ of the sky showing through the canopy
- Trees that leaf out early: aspen, birch, willow, maple
- Trees that leaf out later: oak, chestnut, sweet gum, beech, tupelo, catalpa, ash, elm
Shrubs
| Plant Name | Shade Type | Resist Deer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pieris japonica—lily-of-the valley shrub | light, dappled | very good | |
| Euonymus japonica and E. fortunei | light, dappled | fair | |
| Ilex crenata – Japanese holly | light | fair | |
| Deutzia | light | good | |
| Choisya ternata – Mexican orange | light, dappled | good | 'Sundance' variety needs full sun |
| Skimmia | open, deep, dappled | very good | |
| Kerria japonica –Kerria rose | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | fewer flowers with more shade |
| Myrica californica –Pacific wax myrtle | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | |
| Holodiscus – ocean spray | light, dappled | very good | |
| Gaultheria shallon - salal light | open, dappled, deep | very good | |
| Mahonia aquifolium – Oregon grape | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | |
| Mahonia x media– Japanese mahonia, 'Charity', 'Arthur Menzies', 'Winter Sun' | light, dappled | very good | |
| Mahonia eurybracteata ssp. ganpinensis 'Soft Touch' | light, open, dappled | very good | 2013 Plant of the Year at the Royal Horticultural Society's Chelsea Flower Show |
| Sarcococca – sweet box | dappled, open, deep | very good | some morning sun OK |
| Ribes: R. sanguineum – red currant | dappled, light, open | good | |
| Garrya elliptica ‘James Roof’– coast silk tassel | light, dappled | fair | G. fremontii—Fremont silk tassel is smaller, hardier |
| Hypericum-- shrubby St. John’s wort | light, dappled | ??? | |
| Rhamnus californica-- coffeeberry | light, dappled | good | needs decent drainage |
| Daphne odora; D. × transatlantica ‘Eternal Fragrance’ and 'Summer Ice' | light, open, dappled | very good | like all daphne, needs very good drainage & non-acid, porous soil (pH of 7.0 for odora); light shade only for 'Eternal Fragrance' and 'Summer Ice' |
| Symphoricarpos – snowberry, coralberry | light, dappled | good/fair | |
| Viburnums: V. tinus 'Spring Bouquet', V. davidii, V. opulus, V. acerifolium | light, dappled | good | V. davidii also does well in open shade |
| Elaeagnus × ebbingei ‘Gilt Edge’ –variegated silverberry | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | needs decent drainage |
| Arctostaphylos densiflora 'Howard McMinn' | light | good | needs excellent drainage, unamended soil, good air circulation |
| Calycanthus—Carolina allspice, sweetshrub | light, dappled | flowers larger on named hybrids of Chinese, floridus, others | |
| Buxus sempervirens-- common boxwood | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | try it unclipped for a dense but soft look |
| Osmanthus: O. delayvi, O. x burkwoodii--sweet olive; O. heterophyllus-- false holly | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | varied sizes and leaf types, can be clipped, most also like full sun-- sweet olive have spring bloom; false holly (heterophyllus) in fall |
| Ruscus aculeatum –butcher’s broom | light, open, dappled, deep | ?? but prickly | what look like leaves are actually flattened shoots; needs decent drainage; most cultivated varieties are self-fruiting |
Perennials
| Plant Name | Shade Type | Resist Deer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brunnera macrophylla – Siberian bugloss | light, dappled, open | good | |
| Acanthus mollis, A. spinosus – bear’s breeches | light, dappled | very good | A. spinosus is more compact |
| Bergenia cordifolia, B. ciliata | dappled, open, deep | good | |
| Heuchera – coral bells | light, dappled | fair | |
| Digitalis – foxglove | light, dappled | fair | |
| Dicentra formosa – native bleeding heart | light, open, dappled | good | goes dormant early without a bit of summer water |
| Smilacina racemosa--false Solomon's seal | light, open, dappled, deep | good | red berries; drought tolerant in humus-rich soil |
| Polystichum: P. munitum— sword fern, P. setiferum— soft shield/Alaskan ferns, P. acrostichoides—Christmas fern, P. tsus-simense-- Korean Rock Fern | light, open, deep, dappled | very good | evergreen; drought tolerant staples in the shade garden |
| Dryopteris filix-mas – male fern | light, open, deep, dappled | very good | |
| Blechnum spicant—deer fern | light, open, deep, dappled | very good | |
| Athyrium – lady fern 'Ghost', 'Japanese Painted' | dappled, open, deep | very good | not all lady ferns are drought tolerant |
| Pulmonaria--lungwort | light, open, dappled | good | good monthly water in summer, cut back right after bloom to curb powdery mildew |
| Hosta—plantain lily | open, dappled, deep | no | more drought tolerant with good soil and more shade |
| Fuchsia—hardy fuchsia | light, open, dappled | fair | |
| Disporopsis pernya— evergreen Solomon's seal | light, open, deep, dappled | very good | well-behaved clumping habit |
| Hellebores: H. orientalis— Lenten rose, H. foetidus— stinking hellebore, H. argutifolius—Corsican hellebore, H. lividus— Majorcan hellebore | light, open, dappled | very good | H. niger, the Christmas rose, needs extra water. Corsican and Majorcan enjoy some sun |
| Anemone japonica— Japanese anemone, A. nemerosa—wood anemone | light, open, dappled | ate the flowers, not leaves | withhold summer water to curb Japanese anemone spread |
| Geranium macrorrhizum– big root geranium | light, dappled | may eat flowers | |
| Lewisia cotyledon, L. rediviva—bitterroot | light | ate the flowers | requires excellent drainage |
| Trachystemon orientalis– Abraham, Isaac, Joseph or Oriental borage | light, open, dappled | good | self-sowing not observed, unlike common borage |
Groundcovers
| Plant Name | Shade Type | Resist Deer? | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Euphorbia robbiae | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | good news: spreads well under trees, makes dense groundcover bad news: rhizomes spread too well, sap is irritant |
| Cyclamen coum (winter bloom) C. hederifolium and C. mirabile (late summer) | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | plants spread as ants move the seeds about; seedlings are easy to control |
| Corydalis lutea | light, open, dappled, deep | good | plants self-sow significantly but are easy to pull; gives three-season bloom |
| Oxalis oregana—evergreen Oregon oxalis or redwood sorrel | light, open, dappled, deep | good | spreads slowly but well under trees and rhododendrons; three-season bloom; deciduous variety considered invasive |
| Vancouveria hexandra, V. chrysantha—inside-out flower | open, deep, dappled | very good | V. hexandra—white flowers, deciduous V. chrysantha—yellow flowers, evergreen Mahonia nervosa– longleaf |
| Oregon grape | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | slow-spreading |
| Liriope spicata—creeping lily turf | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | moderate spreading |
| Ophiopogon japonica— mondo grass O. planiscapus ‘Nigrescens’— black mondo grass | light, open, dappled, deep | very good | spreads better with occasional water |
| Epimedium—bishop’s hat | dappled, open | good | leaves look better with occasional water; moderate spread rate |
| Ceratostigma plumbaginoides—dwarf plumbago, deadwort | light, dappled | fair | late to leaf out, blooms better with occasional water; moderate spread rate |
| Waldsteinia ternata—barren strawberry | light, dappled | very good | a dense, evergreen weed-buster |
| Sarcococca hookerana var. humilis | open, deep, dappled | very good |
no afternoon sun; a dense, evergreen weed-buster |
| Blechnum penna-marina-- alpine water fern | light, open, dappled | very good | occasional water helps it spread; dense and evergreen |
| Lamium maculatum – dead nettle | open, deep, dappled | good | The unnamed L. galeobdolon variety is quite invasive; 'Hermann's Pride' is the more contained variety of that type. Recommend L. maculatum, which has many calmer, named varieties with short stem length between leaves: 'Ghost', 'Anne Greenway', 'Purple Dragon', 'White Nancy', 'Beacon Silver', 'Pink Chablis' |
| Cardamine trifolia—threeleaf cardamine | light, dappled | fair | well behaved, evergreen |
| Asarum caudatum –Western wild ginger | open, deep, dappled | good |
requires some patience; needs a couple of years to establish before it will perform well |
Extra tips:
This piece is part of the collection
A Water-wise Home Landscape: A Xeriscape
