Slugs and Salal: Gardening Pacific Northwest

DROUGHT-TOLERANT PLANTS

For some time I've been thinking about adding native red flowering currant (Ribes sanguineum) shrubs to the dry edges of my garden. These plants are tolerant of drought once established, and are important hummingbird plants. A lovely companion to red flowering currant would be White Icicle, a form of the same plant with white flowers in long, pendulous clusters in early spring.

To continue the red and white theme I plan to transplant to the same areas a few pieces of red valerian (Centranthus ruber, Jupiter's beard), an exuberantly drought-tolerant tall perennial in my garden, and some of the white-flowering form of the same plant called Snowcloud.
red valerian

Gray-leaved plants like the artemisias and santolina (cotton lavender), succulent-leaved sedums, spiny eryngiums (sea holly) and small-leaved Mediterranean herbs such as thyme, sage, lavender and rosemary are more suitable candidates for the area.
A clump or two of my daughter Theresa's sweet grass (Hierochloe odorata) would adapt well, as would species tulips, which flower best where they experience dry-soil summers and heat.
tulip
tulip

Another plant I've long wanted in the garden is a North American native redbud, the best known species being the eastern redbud (Cercis canadensis). The redbuds are multistemmed, deciduous shrubs or small trees that bear sweet pea type flowers in early spring and broad, heart-shaped leaves that give a good show of fall color.
A form that is not so well known is Cercis occidentalis, the western redbud native to California. I think this is the one I will choose to grow with the flowering currants, red valerian and other plants along one dry, sunny edge of the garden. Western redbud grows most commonly as a multistemmed shrub with an eventual height of 10 to 15 feet (three to five metres).
This is a plant with year-round interest. Early spring brings a three-week display of magenta-rose flowers. The summer foliage is a handsome blue-green, the rounded leaves notched at the tip and interspersed with magenta seed pods. In autumn the leaves turn rich yellow and red and in winter the bare branches form a picturesque pattern, with the added adornment of reddish brown pods. It is recommended for dry, seldom watered garden edges and banks. But like all drought-tolerant plants it needs regular watering while it establishes in the garden, and for the first year or two to speed growth.

Two more fine drought-busters in my garden (both shown below) are shrubby tree lupin, whose yellow flowers perfume the spring garden, and the gray felt-leaved Lychnis occulata, or Angel Blush rose campion, whose summerlong flowers are white and blush pink. Both self-sow generously.

tree lupin
Angel Blush rose campion

Winter or Algerian iris (Iris unguicularis, I. stylosa) produces masses of soft lilac flowers from February to April where they bake in dry, hot, sunny places during the summer.

winter iris

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