View allAll Photos Tagged droughttolerant
Dry Garden at RHS Wisley, England: The gardens at RHS Wisley contain a couple of areas which are predominantly devoted to ‘dry’ gardens. Shown here is a border that consists primarily of drought tolerant grasses - with a few perennials such as Achilleas and Giant Cone Flowers added to give additional structural interest.
Dry Gardens in England: Interest in ‘dry’ gardens has grown considerably over the past few years. Although people often view England as a ‘green and pleasant land’ with plentiful rainfall, this is not always the case. The east of the country is much, much drier than the west and in recent years much of Eastern England was subject to a ban on using hosepipes for garden irrigation. Weather patterns in the country seem to be getting more extreme and in 1996 the annual rainfall in the East Anglia region was less than that in Jerusalem or Beirut! These changes in weather patterns have stimulated gardener’s interest in growing more drought tolerant plants - which never need irrigation.
Many of the plants suited to dry gardens, such as Giant Verbascums, Perennial Grasses and Euphorbias also provide the garden with bold architectural statements giving all year round interest. When they have finished flowering many drought tolerant plants have stems and seed heads which look good and hold up well even when the first frosts arrive.
The hardiness rating of many plants also seems to be extended in dry garden conditions too. In these conditions plants seem better able to tolerate the cold winters as long as their roots don’t get waterlogged .
So, dry gardens really offer many advantages – no irrigation, some great architectural plants, a long season of interest, better hardiness rating and relatively low maintenance too. The other bonus is that plants that are happy in these conditions will often self-seed and propagate freely. With all these benefits I am sure we will be seeing many more dry gardens in the UK in the coming years!
© 2014 ukgardenphotos
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Oreocereus celsianus
Common Name(s): Old Man of the Andes
Synonym(s): Pilocereus celsianus, Cereus celsianus, Borzicactus celsianus, Cereus fossulatus, Oreocereus fossulatus, Borzicactus fossulatus, Oreocereus maximus, Oreocereus neocelsianus
Native Habitat: Argentina : Bolivia : Peru
Flower: Pink, Purple
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
A view from my gardens. 🐝🌼 The plants you mostly see are first Dotted Mint, and the white spikes of Culvers Root.
Starting up a collection of succulents to add to my beach garden. Venerable varieties like Jade, Aeonium, Sedum & Echeveria. These new plants help inaugurate Eco Project 365, a year-long adventure to convert my home & garden into a water-wise, more natural environment.
A selection of drought tolerant plants suitable for a Mediterranean climate surround a giant Blue Agave and large raised planter filled with Golden Sedum and Euphorbia tirucalli.
This yellow Hibotan cactus is also called Moon Cactus, and has been grafted (but not by us) onto the cactus underneath. It's a small plant measuring only 4 inches from soil to top. My wife has started acquiring quite a number of exotic (to me, anyway) cactus and succulents as we convert to more drought tolerant plants.
My main light was from the side because I wanted directional light to reveal the shapes of the plant. I placed a YN560-II in a 24 inch softbox camera left at 9 o'clock as the main light, and a YN560 in an identical softbox on the right side at 5 o'clock at reduced power for fill. To light the green cactus, I used a Strobie 130 in a Honl snoot pointed from in front and from the left at 7 o'clock. All strobes in manual mode were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N. I adjust the power output on each one until I got a look that I liked. "Season to taste" as they say on the food channel.
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. In the description for that set, I list resources that I've used to learn how to light with off camera flash, and the equipment that I use. www.flickr.com/photos/9422
If you like pictures of cactus and succulents, you might not hate my Cactus and Succulents set. That set can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157633383093236/
At the Huntington Library and Botanical Gardens, San Marino, CA.
Note the heaters.....these are throughout the desert gardens and no doubt turned on during nights of extreme cold. They are not taking any chances !
Small meadows along Front st in Talent were built in 2006 to filter storm runoff before entering Bear Creek. There is a beautiful path following along the drought tolerant landscape right next to my house.
I was playing around this afternoon with a 1.8 50mm lens that I use whenever I want to create bokeh, or an out of focus background. This plant is in our garden and was mostly in direct sunlight, and I used no flash. The blurry orange color in the background is a sticks-on-fire plant which turns bright orange in the winter, and is about 8 feet tall. The subject plant is an aeonium succulent, and I got in very close to it using a Kenko extension tube on the lens for close focusing. I captured a few of the leaves on the edge of the plant, but as you can see almost the entire image is out of focus - by design. I like the impressionistic look here, and I decided when I was done to do a more conventional look at this plant using a macro lens and small aperture to put everything in sharp focus. In other words, the complete opposite of this image. I did use a strobe with softbox for that image. Down below in the comments you can see the fully focused look at the plant.
If you like pictures of cactus and succulents, you might not hate my Cactus and Succulents set. That set can be seen here www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157633383093236/...
Streamlined and minimal landscape design by Suzanne McKevitt. I've been seeing more of this unique Agave species around Los Angeles lately. The common name of this elegant species is Octopus Agave. Very striking when flowering. A native of Mexico, this architectural plant can tolerate intense heat and very dry conditions. Unlike most Agave, the leaves do not have spines, thus making this Agave a good choice in gardens with young children.
Taken near our RV in Casa Grande, Arizona. This is a popular drought-tolerant shrub, Caesalpinia gilliesii. The stamens are quite spectacular.
Taken with the D700, old Sigma macro zoom lens.
Image processed with GIMP.
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Echinopsis terscheckii
Common Name(s): Cardon Grande Cactus, Golden Saguaro, Argentine Saguaro, San Pedro Cactus, Cardon Santo “sacred cactus", Cardón
Synonym(s): Cereus terscheckii, Pilocereus terscheckii, Trichocereus terscheckii, Trichocereus werdermannianus, Echinopsis werdermaniana
Native Habitat: Jujuy, Salta - Argentina
Flower: White, Yellow
Cultivar Availability: Uncommon
R. Porch's Private Collection
Low growing succulent blooming in a pot of echeveria secunda.
Cremnosedum 'Little Gem' is the variety.
Thank you A. Banu for the plant ID.
Once of the benefits of converting to more drought tolerant plants in our landscaping is the wonderful variety of strange and exotic (to me anyway) plants that I now have as photographic subjects. I have no idea what the name of this plant is, but I really like the patterns and colors.
Strobist info: For the main light I put a YN560-II in a 24 inch softbox to the left of the camera at 8 o'clock, and for a fill light I used a YN560 in an identical softbox, placed camera right at 4 o'clock at half the power of the main light, so that I would get some shadows for depth and definition. Both strobes, in manual mode, were triggered by a Yongnuo RF-603N.
Other plants, flowers, fruit or thingys that I've photographed using strobes can be seen in my Strobe Lit Plant set. In the description for that set, I list resources that I've used to learn how to light with off camera flash, and the equipment that I use. www.flickr.com/photos/9422
Pictures that I've taken over the years of succulents and cactus can be seen in (of all places) my Cactus and Succulents set. www.flickr.com/photos/9422878@N08/sets/72157633383093236/
Family: Aloaceae
Genus: Gasteria nitida var. armstrongii
Common Name(s):
Synonym(s): Gasteria armstrongii
Native Habitat: South Africa
Flower: Orange
Cultivar Availability: Uncommon
R. Porch's Private Collection
A very drought tolerant plant that is loved by honey bees. We have then in a few beds throughout the garden. Here we see an orange variety with salvias in the background.
One of several Echeveria's I've added to my patio garden this summer. One of my favorite new succulents.
Various succulents, not sure of all the specifics. Some Senecio, Crassula and Sedum varieties here, along with Portulacaria. Crassula portulacea also known as Spoon or Finger Jade in the background.
Family: Cactaceae
Genus: Ferocactus latispinus
Common Name(s): Crow's Claw Cactus, Devil's Tongue Cactus
Synonym(s): Cactus latispinus, Bisnaga recurva, Cactus recurvus, Ferocactus recurvus, Cactus nobilis, Echinocactus spiralis, Echinocactus cornigerus, Bisnaga cornigera, Ferocactus nobilis
Native Habitat: Northern Mexico
Flower: Purple, Yellow
Cultivar Availability: Common
R. Porch's Private Collection
Some beautiful pumpkin succulent arrangements I have available for fall! They are made with real pumpkins, but they are not cut, so they will last for a few months.
Bright blue flowers of Chinese plumbago (Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) growing in the landscaped areas of Laguna Lake Park. Often used as an ornamental ground cover, this hardy plant adds a welcome splash of colour to pathways and garden beds around the park. While not a native species, its vivid blooms and trailing habit make it a popular choice in California’s maintained green spaces.
Close-up of a euphorbia hybrid that is a cross between Euphorbia lophogona and Euphorbia millii. This evergreen succulent shrub grows 2 to 3 feet tall with gray spiny stems that display small oblong pale green leaves at the tips with orange/yellow/pink flowers. Drought tolerant, grows in full sun and hardy to about 30 degrees F. A new addition to my garden this year.
Gazanias - they have a dark ring centre that makes the petals appear scorched as tho' by a tiny inferno!
So hot-hued I can "hear them sizzle" !
Gazanias are flowering plants in the family Asteraceae, native to Southern Africa.
They are often planted as drought-tolerant ground cover and are grown for their brilliant colours.
Hen and chicks (also known as Hen-and-chickens) is a common name for a group of small succulents belonging to the flowering plant family Crassulaceae, native to Europe and northern Africa. They grow close to the ground with leaves formed around each other in a rosette, and propagating by offsets. The 'hen' is the main plant, and the 'chicks' are the offspring, which start as tiny buds on the main plant and soon sprout their own roots, taking up residence close to the mother plant.