Back in my younger years, I had all the knowledge about plants and their varieties but little understanding of how to care for them.
Juggling my first job and facing financial struggles, many of my early plantings died at the hands of neglect.
If only I had known about drought-tolerant plants earlier, I could have chosen options that thrived on neglect and worried a little less about watering them constantly.
To keep you from making the same mistake and killing delicate plants, I’ve compiled a list of the best outdoor plant varieties that call for minimal maintenance and thrive in dry conditions.
Let’s go over them one by one, shall we?
Outdoor Plants For Full Sun Pots: 11 Drought-Tolerant Varieties
11 – Coneflowers
Apart from featuring large majestic blooms and possessing natural pest and insect-repellent properties, coneflowers are very hardy and drought-tolerant, making them an excellent, low-maintenance option for outdoor planting.
10 – Verbenas
This colorful, flowering plant is known for its ability to tolerate long periods of dryness.
Verbenas are resilient and they feature clusters of tiny purple, blue, red, and pink flowers that can make for a stunning outdoor display.
9 – Russian Sage
Russian sage has an appearance that resembles sage and it’s native to central Asian countries such as Russia and Afghanistan.
The hardy plant offers tall, slender foliage and vibrant blueish-purple flowers that bloom on upright spikes.
8 – Alliums
Speaking from experience, alliums grow incredibly well in pots. They’re hardy perennials that are resilient to adverse conditions which makes them ideal for low-maintenance outdoor gardening.
They also offer round, globe-shaped flowers in various vibrant colors that can confer great beauty to any environment.
7 – Lupines
Lupines have specialized root systems that can help them access moisture when it’s needed but not provided.
Once established, they’re quite drought-tolerant and feature small pea-shaped flowers on tall spikes that would look absolutely enchanting in pots.
6 – Lysimachia nummularia (Creeping jenny)
Although creeping jenny is typically used as ground cover in the garden, it can also be planted in pots for a unique spilling display consisting of yellowish green leaves and bright yellow bell-shaped flowers in the blooming season.
The perennial is hardy and can withstand drought without causing much trouble.
5 – Sedum (Stonecrop)
Sedums not only offer visually appealing and vibrant flowers but also attractive foliage that complements their blooms very well.
They thrive in pots and containers due to their shallow root systems and ability to adapt to a wide range of soil conditions.
To no surprise, sedums are quite resilient and able to stand tall in the face of dry conditions. You can go weeks and months without watering them and they’ll still do pretty well.
4 – Aloe Vera
As we all know, aloe vera stores water in its thick, fleshy leaves. For that reason, it can survive drought-like dry conditions and come out mostly unfazed.
Ofcourse, you can plant it in a pot and keep it anywhere you like be it your bedroom, workstation, or outdoor patio but care and maintenance is something you don’t have to worry about when it comes to aloe vera.
3 – Lavender
Ahhh…it’s lavender…once again!
I’ve talked about lavender in a lot of my articles. I find it to be intoxicatingly beautiful and fragrant. In pots, lavender looks even better and can be moved to appropriately lit conditions more efficiently.
Just because it’s hardy and doesn’t require a lot of watering doesn’t mean it can survive without the fulfillment of any basic plant needs.
Your lavender still needs bright, direct light for at least 6 to 8 hours every day to maintain a decent growth rate and produce blooms on time.
2 – Scilla
Scillas are generally drought tolerant and can survive decently long periods of dryness without being too negatively affected.
The plant offers star-shaped flowers that come in light shades of blue, violet, and white as well as long, leafy foliage that adds a unique depth to outdoor displays.
1 – Salvias
The attractive thing about salvias is that they’re a lot more colorful and vibrant than pretty much every plant on this list. If you aim to brighten up outdoor environments but also want to give them tough, hardy plants, salivas can be counted on to get the job done.
Additionally, since you wouldn’t want pollinators to come into your house, you can keep the pots outdoors and pollinators will be drawn in no time.
Final Words
One can never be bored when talking about something of deep interest to him/her.
Yes, a lot of people still roll with the old school, “I can plant anything I want, anytime and anywhere I want” mentality but you can’t tell me you believe planned, strategic planting with well-thought-out plant choices is going to fail you. It hasn’t failed anyone yet and definitely never well!
