Low Water Plants CAN be Colorful!

First thing to know is that I love having colorful blooms in my yard all year long! I was afraid that I would end up with something like a desert landscape if I tried to use drought tolerant plants. I went online to look for some pretty plants that don't guzzle water and found some that grow well in the Santa Clara Valley. Here are some of my favorites.
Lavender: Pretty flowers, smells great and comes in different shades of blue, purple, pink and even white.

Day Lilies: Pretty colors, blooms Spring and Summer, low maintenance.

Snapdragon: Variety of colors and different sizes. I have problems with bud worms though.

Hydrangea: Love these, but they do take a good amount of water to get established. Beautiful flowers in many varieties.

Agapanthus: Shades of blues or white, large or small plants and pretty when not in bloom. Snails do love them, however.

Coreopsis: Beautiful shades of yellow on mounding plants.

Creeping Thyme: Tiny purple flowers on gray/green plants. I have Wooly Thyme which has fuzzy leaves.

 

Also mentioned were Four O'clocks, Beard Tongue, Purple Coneflower, Spirea, Bluebeard, and established Azaleas. This year, I have also been experimenting with succulents in small pots. Very easy to propagate and so many varieties!

This is not to say that I have gone completely drought tolerant, but I have made a good start!