low maintenance flowers, drought tolerant

[robroquet]

Hey everyone.

Im looking for some suggestions for a client. They want something that is low maintenance, and somewhat drought tolerant. What would I be able to plant up here in Northern Illinois that will look nice as well.

Thanks in advance!

Rob

[alexschultz1]

lavender, enchinacea, hollyhock, Delphinium, Lupine, foxglove, carnation... plenty more but this is all that i can think of right now

northern illinois is zone 4-5 do a search online and u will find plenty of information

[andersman02]

native plants! take a look into anything native to the area.....

most prairie plants will be drought tolerant or even drought loving such as gaillardia

in our perennial garden we have echinacea, rudbeckia, hyssop, allium, salvia, karl forester, switch grass, joe pye weed, little bluestem and liatris.... all of which have thrived in the first year without any water

some other flowers id assume are pretty hardy
ratibda, heliopsis, big bluestem, gailllardia, globe thistle, side oats grama, etc etc, the list goes on and on and on and on and on...................

[robroquet]

Thanks to the both of you for replying. This will make my search much easier!

Have a great week!

Rob

Originally Posted by andersman02

native plants! take a look into anything native to the area.....

most prairie plants will be drought tolerant or even drought loving such as gaillardia

in our perennial garden we have echinacea, rudbeckia, hyssop, allium, salvia, karl forester, switch grass, joe pye weed, little bluestem and liatris.... all of which have thrived in the first year without any water

some other flowers id assume are pretty hardy
ratibda, heliopsis, big bluestem, gailllardia, globe thistle, side oats grama, etc etc, the list goes on and on and on and on and on...................

[robroquet]

Would any of these thrive in acidic soil? Pine trees are the death of me.

Rob

Originally Posted by andersman02

native plants! take a look into anything native to the area.....

most prairie plants will be drought tolerant or even drought loving such as gaillardia

in our perennial garden we have echinacea, rudbeckia, hyssop, allium, salvia, karl forester, switch grass, joe pye weed, little bluestem and liatris.... all of which have thrived in the first year without any water

some other flowers id assume are pretty hardy
ratibda, heliopsis, big bluestem, gailllardia, globe thistle, side oats grama, etc etc, the list goes on and on and on and on and on...................

[White Gardens]

Originally Posted by robroquet

Would any of these thrive in acidic soil? Pine trees are the death of me.

Rob

You would have to do the research on the plants themselves to see if they will thrive or not.

The only real problem with native plants is that they require native soil and conditions in order to thrive. Having an Urban setting with bad soil might hinder your growth or survival rate.

And, if your trying to grow under pine trees, I'd axe the idea. as the needles are going to create issues every year.

And, Pine needles creating acidic soil is a falacy. Though Pine trees like acidic soil for growth, the needles don't alter the PH of the soil. Oak tree leaves are more likely to change the PH of the soil over pine trees.


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[xtreem3d]

Originally Posted by alexschultz1

lavender, enchinacea, hollyhock, Delphinium, Lupine, foxglove, carnation... plenty more but this is all that i can think of right now

northern illinois is zone 4-5 do a search online and u will find plenty of information

Have you ever had good luck with Delphinium's? On 3 different ocassions I planted about 100 Summertime Blues because I really wanted some blue in the landscape but they never would survive. (zone 5-6)
Steve