Drought garden kit

The Hot, Dry Bank.

For the slope the hose doesn't reach.

Sedum, lavender, evening primrose, a spiky yucca and a juniper that crawls. Every one of them would rather be dry than pampered. Once they're rooted in, you can forget where the hose is.

14 plants · 5 kinds4 × 8 ft slope or stripFull sun
$554.86
Same price as buying them one by one. The plan's on us.
The Hot, Dry Bank
What it looks like

Year two. Then you brag.

Year two, mid-July. Each plant drawn at its full size.

1 ft132541 ft13254
  1. 1Yucca 'Color Guard'2–3 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide
  2. 2Lavender 'Provence' × 32–3 ft tall and wide
  3. 3Juniper 'Blue Rug' × 24–8 in. tall, 4–6 ft wide
  4. 4Sedum 'Dragon's Blood' × 53–6 in. tall, 12–18 in. wide
  5. 5Primrose 'Evening Sun' × 33–6 in. tall, 15–18 in. wide
What's in the box

14 plants, 5 jobs.

$79.99
In this kit: The exclamation point
Yucca filamentosa

Adam's Needle

Gold stripes, sharp edges, zero thirst.

Evergreen spikes in gold and green. Stiff, sword-shaped leaves with wide golden centers that pick up rosy tints in cold weather. In midsummer, tall stalks of creamy white bells rise well above the clump.

Size2–3 ft tall (flower stalks 4–5 ft), 2–3 ft wideShowMidsummer; foliage year-round Lightfull, partZones4–10 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: The exclamation point
Kniphofia 'Pineapple Popsicle'

Red Hot Poker

A popsicle that hummingbirds actually eat.

Pineapple spikes, all summer. Pineapple-yellow flower spikes over grassy foliage, on a dwarf plant that keeps blooming in flushes from early summer into fall. Hummingbirds find it.

Size15–24 in. tall and wideShowEarly summer to fall, in flushes LightfullZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$95.97
In this kit: Silver and scent
Lavandula × intermedia

Lavandin

The one they bundle and dry.

Big scent, long stems. Long, loose wands of pale lavender flowers over silvery foliage, with the sweet, heavy scent lavender farms grow it for. It's the variety people cut for bundles and sachets.

Size2–3 ft tall and wideShowMidsummer LightfullZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Silver and scent
Lavandula × intermedia

Lavandin

Lavender that does not melt in July.

Lavender built for humid summers. Dense, silvery foliage and big, fragrant purple flower spikes on a plant bred to handle heat and humidity better than most. Bees cover it, and the cut stems dry beautifully.

Size18–30 in. tall, 18–24 in. wideShowEarly to late summer LightfullZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$129.98
In this kit: Blue carpet
Juniperus horizontalis 'Wiltonii'

Creeping Juniper

Blue Rug. It's literally a rug.

A blue rug, literally. The classic Blue Rug juniper: flat, trailing branches of silver-blue foliage that hug the ground and spread into a dense evergreen mat. In winter it takes on a plum tint.

Size4–8 in. tall, 4–6 ft wideShowEvergreen foliage year-round LightfullZones3–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Blue carpet
Juniperus conferta 'Blue Pacific'

Shore Juniper

Evergreen carpet. Salt and heat don't faze it.

Soft blue evergreen carpet. Low, trailing branches of soft, blue-green needles that spread into a dense evergreen mat. It handles heat, salt spray and sandy soil, and spills nicely over walls and walk edges.

Size6–12 in. tall, 4–6 ft wideShowEvergreen foliage year-round LightfullZones6–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$149.95
In this kit: Red groundcover
Sedum spurium

Creeping Stonecrop

A rug for the hot, dry spot.

Tough little red carpet. Fleshy, round leaves in green flushed burgundy that turn deeper red in cool weather, covered in starry pinkish-red flowers in early summer. It knits into a mat that handles heat, poor soil and neglect of the watering can.

Size3–6 in. tall, 12–18 in. wideShowEarly to midsummer Lightfull, partZones4–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Red groundcover
Sedum spurium 'Fuldaglut'

Creeping Stonecrop

Red carpet for the hard spots.

Red mat, tough spot. A low mat of red-tinged, succulent leaves that spreads to cover dry, hot ground. Pinkish-red flowers sit on top in summer, and bees work them.

Size3–6 in. tall, 12–18 in. wideShowEarly to midsummer Lightfull, partZones3–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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$98.97
In this kit: Big yellow cups
Oenothera missouriensis 'Evening Sun'

Missouri Evening Primrose

Opens at happy hour. Stays out late.

Big yellow cups, after hours. Big, lemon-yellow cup flowers open in the late afternoon and stay open through the night, when moths come to work them. Low, trailing stems of silvery-green leaves keep it tight to the ground.

Size3–6 in. tall, 15–18 in. wideShowLate spring through summer LightfullZones4–8 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
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In this kit: Big yellow cups
Oenothera speciosa

Showy Evening Primrose

Pink cups for the hot, dry spots.

Pink cups for tough ground. Satiny, cup-shaped pink flowers with yellow centers, open by day, covering a low, spreading plant from late spring through summer. Heat, drought and poor soil do not slow it down.

Size10–12 in. tall, 12–18 in. wide and spreadingShowLate spring through summer Lightfull, partZones5–9 PetsNot pet-safe; keep out of reachWaterlow
Full plant page →
The whole kit: 14 plants + the planting planEvery plant picked for your zone. Arrives alive, or we replace it.
The planting plan

Dig here. Then here.

4 × 8 ft slope or stripFull sunTap a plant for the details
Back · tallMiddleFront · low
↓ Front edge · path, lawn or walk
What blooms when
AprMayJunJulAugSepOct
1Yucca
2Lavender
3Juniper
4Sedum
5Primrose

Something in flower 4 of 7 months from April to October.

  1. 1Lay it outSet the pots on the soil to match the plan before you dig. Step back, nudge, then commit.
  2. 2Dig and dropEach hole twice as wide as the pot, just as deep. Crown level with the soil. Firm it in.
  3. 3Soak itWater deeply today, then weekly for a month. After that, mostly leave it alone.
Why it's laid out like this

Yucca at the high point, lavender around it, juniper and sedum spreading below, primrose tucked in the gaps. Plant in spring or early fall and water weekly until rooted, then stop.

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The Sunday Tip · every Sunday

One good plant idea,
every Sunday.

What to plant this week in your zone, every Sunday. New ways to plant and odd tricks that actually work.