Ever wandered around a nursery pondering which plants to buy? Are you tired of spending money on ones that die? Wouldn’t it be nice to have a plant that thrives on benign neglect, a plant you don’t need to fuss over, one that grows lush vegetation, flowers its pretty little head off, is pest proof and disease resistant and oh, drought tolerant too? Wouldn’t it be nice to water every other week or, better yet, just once a month?
You’re probably saying to yourself, “Sure, like those plants exist.” But guess what? They do. UC Davis has been doing trials on garden plants since 2004 in an effort to find those that fit the above criteria. First they started using their “UC Davis Arboretum All Star Series” of plants, then later using plants that were developed and submitted by California Growers.
Each trial lasts two years. The first year plants selected for the study are planted in the fall. Through the first summer they are watered enough to establish a healthy root ball. On the second summer the plants get put on a water diet. From a total of 24 plants of each selection, six are given, respectively, 20 percent, 40 percent, 60 percent and 80 percent of the reference evapotranspiration, which basically the amount of water that cool season grasses use. Most thirsty plants use about 80 percent of what cool season grasses use. To gain a better understanding of this concept and methods, use consult UCD’s website http://ccuh.ucdavis.edu/Resources/plant-trials
As you can imagine, a lot of plants get screened out because, although they may survive, they simply don’t look good, others might die at the low water levels, and still others may be plagued with diseases. But those that survive and meet all the criteria are the winners and the ones we want in our gardens.
Here are a few cultivars from the study to consider for your garden. But remember, you can’t neglect them the first year. You need to ensure they are well established before depriving them of summer water.
