Saving water in Mediterranean and other dry climate climates is becoming a matter of critical importance for gardeners. It is often thought though, that saving water has to be at the expense of beauty; that water conservation is synonymous with a dull, colorless garden. Admittedly, annual flowers are the largest consumers of water compared to other groups of plants, but color can be attained by using plants that once established, consume about 5 times less water over the year. Too good to be true? Read on.

Firstly, there is no shortage of landscape trees that supply wonderful seasonal color, either from their flowers or from their fruit. Many like Hawthorns, Judas tree, Acacias, Albizia, and Lagerstroemia can be grown on a tight water budget. Similarly, plenty of shrubs and bushes that sport colorful blooms require some 100-200 mm of water a year once established, compared to annual flowers that need at least 1000 mm a year in Mediterranean climates, and a lot more in desert regions. Grevillea, Callistemon, Alyogyne, Lilacs, and Cotoneasters are but a few examples of such landscape shrubs.

It is worth noting that some shrubs and vine-like plants, actually flower more profusely in arid conditions than in constantly moist ones. Bougainvillea for instance, reacts to temporary drought, by producing more flowers, while if permanently wet, will tend to grow more foliage. An established Bougainvillea plant can look superb; a mass of red or deep purple on a white-washed wall, on 3 or 4 deep waterings through the summer. Plumbago auriculata, with its mass of sky-blue flowers is another case in point.

Plants with purple, silver, or golden foliage, are an excellent way of adding color to the garden, while remaining water-wise at the same time. The thorny bush, Berberis thunbergii “atropurpurea” is well known, but many home gardeners might be surprised to learn that some ornamental grasses and grass like plants, such as the purple leaved varieties of Pennisetum setaceum or Phormium tenax, (New Zealand flax) fall into this category too. Let’s not forget either, the wide range of silver-leaved and glaucous herbs like Artemisia, some sages, and oregano.

There are even some herbaceous perennials, like Agapanthus and Limonium (Sea Lavender) that can get by on about 300-400 mm a year, while the amazing color performance of succulent ice plants (such as Lampranthus and Drosanthemun) can be achieved virtually without any additional irrigation. The reason for this is that the plants are active from autumn to spring, but enter into a form of dormancy during the summer, during which there is no need to water at all.