Water-Wise Landscape for the Lower Midwest

A rain chain, a dry creek bed and a mixture of drought-tolerant and moisture-loving plants give this entryway garden an A+ in smart use of available water.

Filed under: Watering, Eco-Friendly

Use this plan for a space measuring about 28 feet wide. Below is a site plan adapted to a 50-foot-wide area.

Plant List

A. New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
Alternative: Other medium shrub 3 to 5 feet tall

B. Adam's needle (Yucca filamentosa)
Alternative: Narrowleaf, plains yucca (Yucca glauca) or other evergreen, drought-tolerant accent shrub

C. Prairie dropseed (Sporobolis heterolepis)
Alternative: Sideoats grama (Bouteloua curtipendula), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium) or other ornamental grass or grass-like plant, one to 2 feet tall

D. Spotted Horsemint (Monarda punctata)
Alternative: Downy wood mint (Blephilia ciliata), purple coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) or other flowering herbaceous plant, 2 to 3 feet tall

E. blackeyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida)
Alternative: Other flowering herbaceous plant, one to 2 feet tall

F. Green and gold (Chrysogonum virginianum)
Alternative: Rose verbena (Verbena canadensis) or other flowering groundcover, 6 to 12 inches tall

G. Wild iris (Iris missouriensis)
Alternative: Blueflag iris (Iris versicolor) or other tough, small groundcover, 2 to 4 inches tall

H. Widowscross (Sedum pulchellum)
Alternative: Other moisture-tolerant herbaceous plant