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Drought dilemma?

Ever heard of a Xerophyte? No, this is not the latest mixed drink…. Xerophytes are plants adapted to conditions where little moisture isavailable. For these plants, drought doesn’t have to be a problem at all. Theyhave developed clever ways to withstand longer periods of drought, for exampleby:

• Leaf surface and texture: plants with a hairy or waxy coating, with smaller leaf surfaces or fewer stomata per mm2 minimise waterloss through limited transpiration.

• Root structure: plants with deep, extensive root systemscan access water that is stored deeper in the soil.

• Water storage: some plants have the ability to store lotsof water in tissues of the roots, trunk, stems or leaves. They can make doseduse of the stored water and endure longer without watering.

• Dormancy: certain plants go into a kind of sleepy mode during drier periods, either halting growth or shedding their leaves toconserve the little moisture available to survive.

There are plenty of plants that possess one of these (or acombination of) properties, so there is lots to choose from! Before we go intodetail about suitable, beautiful plants to go with this theme, we’d like togive you some extra motivation to choose drought stunners.

Warning! Side effects may include:

• Environmental benefits: water savings, soil improvement bypreventing erosion and restoring stability, and supporting biodiversity.

• Benefits for plant lovers, gardeners and landscapedesigners: less watering means less maintenance, often more robust plants thatalso require less fertilisation and crop protection, lots of variety possibleas long as you know what to choose, cost-effective due to water saving and lowmaintenance.

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