plants Archives — Thrifty Mommas Tips

Easy Fun Eco-Printing Craft for Youth and Up

Paula — Mon, 11 May 2020 19:53:00 +0000

Here’s a craft that you have probably never done before. Eco-printing is a fun way to make pretty cards and writing paper. The materials involved are simple and can mostly be found in and around your neighbourhood. My oldest daughter Payton did this one and came up with the idea then helped document the steps here. Fun Craft With Natural Materials This Eco-printing activity could be a great craft to do with older kids because it gets them off their screens and outside for a bit. Basically, you just need to go for a walk around the neighbourhood to gather leaves, petals and buds. The more colourful the better. Don’t forget to take a container with you or a bag for the natural specimens you bring home. Together, we have all been taking a lot of walks around our neighbourhood so we’ve witnessed the changes in the trees and plants this past two months while social distancing. Walks and hikes together are a huge part of maintaining our mental health in my family. Glad we can do that. Some Tips: We found that deep greens and purples work best for the colour transfer to the paper. Don’t forget that card stock works better than regular printer paper because it is thicker and absorbs more pigment. The final effect actually kind of makes the card look like you used water colours and it can be very pretty. Materials Needed: Random flower petals and leaves, the more colourful the better. Vinegar Water Cardstock paper Rock, small hammer or even just a heavy tube to roll over top of the plant. Tape How to Eco-Print in Ten Easy Steps Collect flowers and leaves. Soak them in equal parts vinegar and water for 10 minutes. Remove from vinegar and water solution and dry be sure to pat gently as to not remove pigment. Tape soaked plants to card stock in whatever patterns you desire. Use light taping so you don’t rip the page. You might consider making the tape less sticky by attaching to your clothing first and then gently adding to the paper. Once you have taped the plants in your desired arrangement flip over the paper to the plants are against the table or surface on which you are working. Take a hammer or rocks and gently press on the flowers from the underside of the paper Continue pressing for about 5 minutes on each plant Remove tape. The flower or leaf will come off on the tape, but don’t worry about that, because it’s supposed to happen. Wait for the pigments to dry or else they will smudge Enjoy your Eco printed paper. Write on it when it’s dry and send or turn into a card. Eco-Printing Makes Gorgeous Cards Eco-printing paper is pretty easy and fun to do. Plus, you can be as creative as you want with colours and designs. Next up: I think we will try dandelions too to see how their colours transfer to the paper.

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Five Easy Ways to Reduce Water Use in the Garden Now!

Paula — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:40:19 +0000

A hot, dry, summer can turn watering the garden into a daily chore. How many drought like summer seasons have you endured already? Are you forever out there soaking your plants while sweating like mad? Well, first of all stop. Second of all – gardening doesn’t need to be a chore, especially in the scorching hot summer months. Good water use practices can reduce the work and the water bill too. Here are a few ideas on ways to reduce water use in the garden this year. Five Easy Ways to Save Water and Grow Gorgeous Gardens This Season Use Lots of Mulch One of the most effective ways to reduce water use in the garden is with a good layer of mulch. At the beginning of the growing season heavily mulch your plants. Three inches of mulch is not too thick, especially in sun-drenched areas. In northern climates or high elevations where soil is slow to warm, it’s better to hold off on the mulch until the soil warms up. That may mean waiting until Victoria Day weekend in some areas of Canada. If mulch thins out over the season, add some more. Many gardeners feel fated to watering two times a day, not knowing that a thick layer of mulch will put a stop to the practice. Water Using a Soaker Hose or Drip Irrigation Water using a soaker hose or drip irrigation system. Soaker hoses slowly weep water onto the surface of the soil. This allows the water to soak in deeply without running off. The disadvantage of soaker hoses is that they need to be placed right next to the plant that needs irrigation because the water simply drips off the hose. Place the soaker hose beneath the mulch layer for an effective watering. Inexpensive irrigation line can be purchased from the hardware store or garden center. It consists of somewhat flexible black plastic tubing which can be connected to a garden hose. The irrigation line is run throughout the garden. Smaller lines are added to the main line by punching a hole and then adding smaller tubing. At the end of the tubing, various attachments produce a drip or a spray. The advantage of the irrigation line is that a new drip or spray line can be added easily. Both soaker and irrigation lines cut water use by concentrating water directly where it is needed. Water Deeply Water less frequently and water deeply. Using a soaker hose, irrigation hose, or even a slowly running hose, deeply water the garden. Spraying the surface quickly every day allows a lot of water to evaporate before it sinks deep into soil. It’s not a bad idea to check how deeply water is soaking into the soil with your finger or a water meter. It’s always better to water the roots and not the leaves. In really hot temperatures, if you water the above ground portions of flowers, shrubs and other plants you can actually burn the plants and cause damage. Soak the roots instead and let them do their job. Soils can become hydrophobic and actually repel water. Correct this easily with a soaker hose and good layer of mulch. Choose Plants Wisely Choose the right plants for the area. Planting a tropical plant in a desert area will lead to excessive water use. Local gardeners or garden centers can point out the plants that do well in particular parts of the country, as well as those adapted to full shade or full sun. Harvest Rainwater, It’s Free Rainwater harvesting reduces water use in the garden. The simplest method is to place a garbage can under the downspout of a rain gutter. Buy a rain barrel now, or look for one on sale. Sometimes charities sell these at this time of year so keep your eyes and ears open. Create berms around individual plants or groups of plants to hold water in place so it can soak in deeply. In many areas, water can be costly and wasteful. I hate that first summer water bill every year. When coupled with the hydro use for washing more towels and showering after swimming, plus topping up the pool, the bills add up quickly. Make Gardening Fun Again With a little forethought, you can reduce water use without making it a big deal. Reduce water use in the garden this year and save some money while still growing healthy gardens. Recommended Gardening Gifts and Tools Are you always looking for gardening gifts for green thumbs? Here is a fun idea to gift someone you know. The Drunk Botanist. And here are all the gardening tools you need to make gardening less of a chore this season. Don’t forget to get your kids involved in gardening this year too. Kid’s gardens can be a great way to teach children to love gardening.

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Planting Bulbs in the Fall – How to Properly Plant

Paula — Fri, 09 Sep 2016 08:17:04 +0000

Planting bulbs in the fall might make some new gardeners nervous. After all, we like to get most of our plants in the ground in the spring. Planting spring flowering bulbs, however requires planting bulbs in the fall. Fear not! It’s easy. Here’s what you need to know. Planting Bulbs in the Fall – Easy Peasy Planting bulbs is not all that difficult, and the process for planting bulbs in the fall is pretty much the same as planting them in the spring. It’s just a matter of knowing the basics and then following them. It’s really as easy as that. So let’s get into it! Choose an Area Bulb plants don’t like to be wet, so plant them in an area of the garden with good drainage. Be sure that spot gets plenty of sun, as well, since bulb plants love the sun. Make the Bed Like all plants, bulbs need adequate food to thrive. I recommend amending garden beds every year with the compost you’ve been making all season prior. It’s a great way to add an extra kick to your bulbs. Work in the amendment, loosening the soil to a depth of around 10″. Bulbs are generally planted anywhere between 5 and 8 inches deep, and you want those roots to be able to easily grow. Tuck in Your Bulbs One of the keys to planting bulbs in the fall is to be sure to get the nuances down. First thing’s first. Follow planting directions. The label will tell you what you need to known in regards to depth, watering and the like. Secondly, make sure the bulbs are facing the right direction – pointy side up. With tulips the pointy side is so prominent, you can’t miss it. With bulbs like crocus, it’s tougher to tell. In general, look for the end of the bulb that is the smaller. That’s the point. Luckily, even if you don’t get it right, those suckers have a way of making it topside anyway. One of the biggest, BIGGEST keys to planting bulbs in the fall is not to be too heavy handed. You want to place your bulbs at the recommended depth, then back fill the hole and LIGHTLY COMPRESS the soil. This is where most people mess up. Do NOT pack the soil. Lightly compressing it helps get out air and keep out bugs. Packing the soil makes it exceedingly difficult for shoots to break through. [tweetthis]Planting bulbs in the fall is simple enough, but don’t forget this one trick.[/tweetthis] After that, simply water the area thoroughly to promote root growth and you’re done. You don’t even need to water regularly after that, as the real action won’t start with the bulbs until spring. See? Easy peasy. [tweetthis]Do you need to water the fall bulbs you plant now? Read more and find out.[/tweetthis] Planting Bulbs in the Fall – The Easiest Gardening You’ll Do Planting bulbs in the fall is the easiest bit of gardening you’ll ever do. You don’t have to worry about breaking up roots or extra watering or anything else. All you need is a well turned bed and a light touch when you back fill, and you’re good to go. Give it a try and don’t forget to get the kids involved. This post contains an affiliate link at no extra cost to you. Affiliate links are used here to help you save time and money shopping. When a purchase is made I make a small commission.

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Butterfly Gardens Add Beautiful Variety to Your Lawn

Paula — Wed, 15 Jun 2016 14:59:53 +0000

Butterfly gardens are a wonderful way to add a variety of colors and textures to your lawn. With butterfly gardens, you’ll have beautiful blooming flowers all season long, and a yard teeming with the beauty of butterflies all around. Believe it or not, it’s actually much easier that people think to put a colorful butterfly oasis into their lawn. Butterfly Gardens and the Monarch The monarch butterfly is arguably the most majestic of all North American butterflies. It’s also terribly endangered. In light of that, this post will focus on what you’ll need for a butterfly garden that will be especially attractive to the monarch. Don’t worry. This garden will attract other species of butterflies, as well, as almost all butterflies are drawn to brightly colored blooms. However, the core of this garden is focuses squarely on attracting the monarch and promoting its health and proliferation. Before we go any further, we need to touch on the most important part of butterfly gardens. They need to be in a sunny spot. Butterflies rely on the sun’s heat to regulate their body temperature. The most beautiful butterfly gardens will be empty without adequate sun. Host Plants Butterfly gardens are more than just pretty blooms. Those are for the adult butterflies. In addition to flowering plants, butterfly gardens need plants that caterpillars can feed on. These are the host plants. In this case, that’s milk weed. An abundance of milk weed is the base for the monarch’s survival. Monarch caterpillars eat the leaves of the plant for 9 to 18 days before forming their signature chrysalis an emerging in another 9 to 18 days as an adult monarch butterfly. As the name implies, Milkweed is a weed and will spread as such. So be careful that it doesn’t consume your lawn. This is especially true of common milkweed. Research which milkweed is right for you lawn soil – Common, Swamp, or Butterfly. For example, Swamp milkweed requires moist soil and full sun, whereas Butterfly weed requires sandy soil with excellent drainage. Nectar Plants Host plants are the base for all butterfly gardens, but after the caterpillars become butterflies, they’ll need food. That’s where nectar plants come in. Like most butterflied, monarchs are most attracted to bright, poppy blooms of purples, pinks, yellows, and whites. This attraction is further increased when those colorful blooms are concentrated in bunches. Plants most attractive to the monarch: Canadian goldenrod Wild bergamot New England aster Black-eyed Susan Common yarrow Boneset These are only the base. You can include other plants to further attract a variety of other butterflies as well. Black Swallowtails: Dill, fennel, carrots, and parsley Fritillaries: Violets Painted Ladies: Wormwood, sunflowers, and thistle Red Admirals: Nettle Pin This for Later – > Finishing Touches If you want to ensure that monarchs and other butterflies will visit your garden and lay their eggs there, you can add a few finishing touches that will make your butterfly garden the most attractive one in town. Layout is key to a visually pleasing and effective butterfly garden. Be sure to plant your milkweed at the back of your garden so that the blooming plants are fully visible and get plenty of light. Also be sure to concentrate colors. Plant blooms of the same color together to ensure better attraction of butterflies. To add interest, beauty, and a place for your butterflies to drink, keep a shallow water source in your garden. Partially submerged stones in a shallow buried container lined with pea gravel will give the butterflies a place to drink and add further visual interest to your garden. [tweetthis]To add interest, beauty, and a place for your butterflies to drink, keep a shallow water source in your garden.[/tweetthis] Add large stones to areas in and around your butterfly garden as landing pads and warming areas. Be sure the stones are surrounded by plants to provide shelter against predators. Keep a “mud puddle” around for male butterflies. Mud puddling is practiced by male butterflies to ensure that they can reproduce. They sit on damp soil and extract the minerals and moisture that they need for reproduction. To make a “mud puddle” bury a pan filled with a garden soil/sand/manure mixture in the garden and be sure to keep it moist year round. Butterfly Gardens – Beautiful and Beneficial Butterfly gardens add beauty and interest to any lawn. And when butterfly gardens are planned with the monarch in mind, they also help to foster the continued survival of this endangered species. If you want to have one of the best butterfly gardens around, follow these tips and let your imagination run wild when it comes to perches and water sources. You could end up with a fairy wonderland if you do it right!

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5 Easy Annuals for a Beautiful Garden

Paula — Fri, 13 May 2016 06:05:04 +0000

Annuals add pops of color and no commitment to any flower bed. With these seasonal plants, you can add a ton of color and visual interest to your garden or flower beds without the worry that you might not want the same thing next year. I’m a big fan of these one season beauties, so I’ve put together a list of some of the most colorful and easy to grow annuals for a more colorful yard. Annuals for the Brown Thumbed The following plants are colorful, easy to grow, and require very little care. All of these beauties can be successfully grown by even the most brown thumbed individual, so don’t be afraid to get out in your yard and play in the dirt! Wax Begonias These beautiful plants add both color and visual interest to any bed. Their heart shaped leaves can range in color from green to bronze/red, or mahogany, and their small flowers can be white, pink, rose, red, or a combination. They thrive in partial shade or indirect bright light and require very little deadheading. Impatiens Most people don’t know that Impatiens are not actually annuals. Somewhere along the line, Impatiens became one of the most commonly used seasonal plants for pops of color. These plants feature dainty blooms that come in every shade of the rainbow and then some. They do well in shade or filtered light. New Guinea Impatiens A specific hybrid of Impatiens, this variety takes the poppy color we all recognize in Impatiens to the next level. Their bold foliage ranges in color from green to bronze to burgundy. However, the blooms are what make this annual stand out the most, with colors ranging from hot pink to bright orange to deep red and more. Unlike the Impatiens we normally see, the New Guinea variety can do well in full sun. Geraniums This is another of the annuals on the list that is actually a perennial. Geraniums are often used as annuals in cold climates for their color. They prefer warm, dry days and cool nights. They are also quite nice as bedding, container, or indoor plants. Their gorgeous blooms range in color from white to pink to red and more with even more variegated varieties. [tweetthis]Geraniums prefer warm, dry days and cool nights.[/tweetthis] Marigolds The old standby of annuals. It seems like everyone grows Marigolds, and it’s no surprise. These annuals are one of the easiest and most dependable to grow, and they have a nice range of sizes and colors. Marigold varieties range in height from a few inches to a few feet and come in an array of colors such as white, yellow, red, orange, and variegated combinations. [tweetthis]These annuals are one of the easiest and most dependable to grow. [/tweetthis] Colorful Annuals that Anyone Can Grow Annuals are a great way to add all kind of color and interest to your flower beds, and the ones listed above are so hardy, almost anyone can grow them. With all of these annuals, you basically just need to tread the planting instructions on the containers, and you should be good to go for a season of gorgeous color. Give these a try and let me know how it worked for you. Brown thumbs, I’m talking to you. =D

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Five Flowering Trees – Put a Splash of Colour on Your Lawn

Paula — Thu, 14 Apr 2016 07:27:37 +0000

Flowering trees are beautiful. They can add a pop of colour and a three dimensional beauty to any yard. The problem with landscaping with flowering trees, however, is the sheer number of trees to choose from. Today, let’s take a look at a few of the trees that can add beauty to lawns in Canada and the U.S. 5 Flowering Trees – Hardy Beauties for Your Lawn There are many, many different trees to choose from, but not all trees are created equal. Only some will do well in certain climates, so it’s important to know if a tree can withstand your particular area of North America. Lets take a look at some flowering trees that do well in several climate zones. Flowering Dogwood The flowering dogwood is an excellent choice for lawns across most of the U.S. and in milder regions of Canada. This tree typically grows to around 25 to 30 feet in height, and produces a trove of white flowers from spring to early summer. Another wonderful feature of this tree is its gnarly growth pattern which creates interest in both warm and cold months. Flowering Crabapple The flowering crabapple is prized for its profuse blossoms, which can be pink, red, or white. This tree produces so many blossoms, in fact, that often times it looks like a collection of blossoms on a trunk. These trees are very hardy in cold climates and can be grown across most of the U.S. and in southern Canada in zones 4 through 8. Crabapples can grow to 25 feet in height if not pruned back, so they aren’t small trees. Magnolias When you think of these flowering trees, you most likely think of the southern United States. However, many varieties can be grown in Canada. There are even some varieties that can thrive as far north as zone 4. These trees have beautiful, large blossoms and their thick, waxy leaves offer interesting texture. [tweetthis]Five flowering trees that add a splash of colour to your lawn. [/tweetthis] Witch Hazel While technically a shrub, witch hazel can grow to be the size of a small tree. These shrubs have unique “squiggly” flowers that bloom in late fall to late winter. These shrubs offer a unique landscaping pop because of their winter flowering. These make fantastic additions to any landscape in eastern Canada from Ontario to Nova Scotia. [tweetthis]These trees add curb appeal and should grow well in #ldnont [/tweetthis] Ornamental Cherry These flowering trees make wonderful additions to landscapes across North America. They have beautiful blossoms and are hardy all across North America including many regions of Canada. Flowering Trees Add Color and Variety to Your Lawn Flowering trees are a great way to add colour and dimensional interest to your lawn. And remember, just because we live in the Great White North doesn’t mean we can’t have gorgeous plants and trees on our lawns. If you want to add some interest to your lawn, look into these flowering trees. There are many varieties to be found, and there’s bound to be one perfect for you. If you are looking for more gardening content you can find it here: Great Gardening Ideas and next fall when you need to winterize you should come back to read this: Winterize Your Garden And if you are in London, don’t forget to mark this date on your calendar: April 15 to 17th is London Spring Home and Garden Show at Metroland Media Agriplex in London. There will be some great gardening workshops and experts on hand there.

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5 Easy Houseplants for People with Brown Thumbs

Paula — Wed, 13 Jan 2016 07:15:20 +0000

Easy houseplants are great for people who love greenery, but whose thumbs are less than green. With these easy houseplants, you can have a wonderfully lush home without the inevitable brown plants and crushed spirits that come from things like forgetting to water them or not putting them in a spot with adequate lighting. Easy Houseplants That Anyone Can Grow Any of these houseplants can withstand the curse of the brown thumb. While they aren’t indestructible, these easy houseplants can whether the hardships of owners who forget to water or never feed them. Pothos Pothos has lovely variegated leaves and has a lush, dense look. They produce trailing stems that can grow to over 8 feet, so you’ll have to cut them back to your liking to keep them in line and keep your pothos looking full. This plant requires soil to dry a little between watering, so it’s great for people who either forget to water regularly or who are often away. It can even withstand low light, although its leaves will lose some variegating in low light. Aloe Ah, aloe. The old standby. The slow and steady mule of easy houseplants. Aloe is a succulent, which means it requires very little water. In fact, it likes dry soil, so you really have to make a concerted effort to kill it. In addition to that, you can break off the stems and use the juice inside for sun burns. All you really need to grow an aloe plant is sun and enough room. They can grow to 3 feet high. Jade Another succulent, Jade is a visually interesting plant with thick, waxy leaves and a branching growth pattern that is quite cool. As a succulent, it prefers to be dry, which means you don’t have to overly worry about watering. It is also extremely long lived, so it can stay with you for years and years. Rubber Tree Another visually interesting plant, the rubber tree is an easy houseplant that makes a great centerpiece for other houseplants. It has thick, waxy leaves, and it can grow to a height of 8 feet if you let it. If you prefer to keep it small, simply keep it pruned. You’ll have a rubber bush, instead. This is another easy houseplant that doesn’t need a ton of water. Let the surface of the soil dry out before you water, and keep it in moderate to bright light, and you’ll be set. [tweetthis]Rubber Trees are just one of the plants that can withstand brown thumbs. [/tweetthis] Snake Plant The snake plant is last, but certainly not least on my list of easy houseplants. The snake plant, also known as mother-in-law’s tongue is almost indestructible. It prefers somewhat dry soil, and it can thrive in any lighting condition. Even if you forget to water it for months, the long upright leaves may die, but it will put out new growth. The only real way to kill it is to spray it with weed poison! Easy Houseplants – Pretty Tough See what I did there? All of these easy houseplants can stand up to brown thumbs and forgetful owners. And bonus – they’re all extremely attractive. I would recommend starting off with the succulents if you are a first time houseplant owner or if your thumb is brown through and through. Whatever you choose, these easy houseplants will make it so easy, you’ll find your brown thumb has turned green!

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4 Steps to Winterize Your Garden

Paula — Mon, 26 Oct 2015 07:57:12 +0000

After the final harvest of the year, it will be time to winterize your garden. I promise not to be surprised or offended if some of you don’t know that winterizing the garden is a thing. It seems like a lot of people don’t. However, when you winterize your garden, you get a great head start on the next growing season. Winterize Your Garden for an Amazing Spring When you winterize your garden, you get a spring with less work, more planting, and healthier plants. Here’s how. Don’t Throw Out Spent Veggie Plants This is important. I see so many gardeners pulling up their vegetable plants and pitching them after the growing season is over. Don’t do that! Instead, keep them in the garden, so that they can decompose and return nutrients back to the soil. The stalks, leaves, and stunted fruits that always accompany the end of the growing season will add nutrients as well as composting material and help keep the soil loose. Just remember to pull up corn stalks. Those are just too tough and fibrous. Which brings us to my next point. Lay Down Compost. One key step to remember when you winterize your garden is compost. Hopefully, you have a compost pile or a composter which you’ve been using all season. There’s gold in there! If you have it, lay down a 2 or 3 inch layer of compost across the entire garden. Just throw it right on top of the old vegetable plants. Till The two previous tips on how to winterize your garden go hand in hand with this one. After you’ve laid down a layer of compost – or if you don’t have any, just left your old plants in the garden – till it all in. This will evenly distributed all the good stuff throughout the soil. Remember to till to a depth of about 12 inches. A lot of gardeners say 6 inches, but I’ve found that 12 inches helps to increase drainage and aeration. Black Landscape Fabric This is the final step to properly winterize your garden. Put a layer of black landscape fabric across the entirety of your garden bed. Black landscape fabric will soak up sun and transfer heat to the bed. It will also help retain heat. It’s woven, which means that water can pass through to keep the soil moist as well. [tweetthis]DYK that black landscape fabric can be important when winterizing your garden?[/tweetthis] This does a couple of things. It helps with further breakdown of the compost and old vegetable plants that you tilled into the soil. That means richer dirt for the next season. It also allows you to begin planting your garden sooner. Remember the heat transfer and retention I just mentioned? Landscape fabric and increase a garden’s soil temperature by several degrees, meaning that you can plant seed and plants earlier. [tweetthis]Use these tips for winterizing your garden and next spring and summer you will reap the rewards.[/tweetthis] Winterize Your Garden Now for A Better Start Later With these four tips to winterize your garden, you can get a jump start on the next growing season with tasty dirt for your hungry plants and an early planting season so they have longer to grow. This extra grow time is especially important for those of you who like to do a fall garden as well. If you want a garden that’s ready and raring to go next spring, winterize it this season. You WILL see results.

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5 Drought Resistant Plants

Paula — Mon, 17 Aug 2015 17:28:18 +0000

I love gardening. It’s an enjoyable way to watch plants grow and know that I helped them do it. However, my green thumb can be a touch brown. And my soil here is oddly dry, almost clay like. My plants never seem to have enough water. That’s why I’ve put together a list of 5 drought resistant plants that can stand up to dry weather and a less than green thumb. These drought resistant plants are able to survive the lack of watering that a hectic life can almost certainly mean for them. Drought Resistant Plants to Survive Hectic Lives My life is all go all the time, so I need plants that can stand up to my frequent travelling, chronic activity and massive number of extracurriculars the kids have. Let’s face it, self employment means a busy lifestyle and there are also many days when I don’t really even remember to schedule in the fact that I should probably water all the things that are green. These 5 drought resistant plants can help! Cacti Although this is a group of plants, I’ve up them all here under one heading. Cacti are great for an on the go person or a frequent traveler. They need next to no water, and they enjoy good drainage. They’re basically indestructible, and that’s important when you have 5 million things going through your head on a daily basis. These are great for indoor gardens or outdoor gardens in arid areas. [tweetthis]Consider these plants if you live in an area with limited rain fall. [/tweetthis] Lavender It smells wonderful, and it needs next to no care. That’s a winner for me. This plant blooms from spring to fall, requires very little water, and smells like a dream. You can also harvest the leaves for use in home made teas and various beauty scrubs. Winner, winner, lavender dinner! Angelina Sedum rupestre, commonly known as Agelena, is a European succulent that grows about six inches tall and spreads. Its soft look and beautiful color make it an excellent ground cover, and because it’s a succulent, it needs very little water. [tweetthis]This plant is one of my favourite drought resistant plants for the garden. [/tweetthis] Sempervivum This European plant features lovely gray-green, pink-tipped rosettes that range in size from 2 to 5 inches wide. This clumping plant grows to about 2 feet tall 2 feet across or more. Because it’s native to Europe, it can stand up to cooler climates, as well. Lewisia Cotyledon One of the prettier drought resistant plants, the Sunset Strain of Lewisia can stand up to very little watering. In fact, it makes a wonderful addition to a rock garden, because it doesn’t like to have wet roots. It’s an excellent choice for a green house or an exterior plant in hot, arid regions. [tweetthis]This plant is excellent for a rock garden. [/tweetthis] Drought Resistant Plants – Brown Thumbers Rejoice With these 5 drought resistant plants, even someone with a brown thumb can grow something green. These plants are tough, and they can stand up to a severe lack of water. In fact, many of them thrive on it. So if your green thumb tends to be a little brown, your lifestyle a little too busy, or your memory just not so conducive to watering plants, try out one of these 5 drought resistant plants. You might have a little more green than you think!

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