Easy-care plants: Our top 10

No more watering can and water hose. We'll show you ten drought-resistant plants that you almost never need to water.

Anyone who prefers to relax in summer instead of working in the garden faces a big problem: Especially in In the hot summer months, many plants need large amounts of water and have to be watered almost daily will. But what if you didn't have to choose between hauling heavy watering cans or brown, dried-up plants? In fact, there is a whole range of plants that can do well without additional water, even in extreme drought, and yet do not lose any of their splendor. We will show you how to recognize drought-resistant plants and which ten plants should be introduced into your garden.

Low maintenance plants: characteristics of drought-resistant plants

You are not always sure whether a plant is particularly robust against drought or whether it should be watered. Fortunately, however, there are a number of characteristics that are typical of plants that can cope particularly well with drought. You should pay special attention to the leaves: Are they fleshy and thick like with Succulents, gray-green or covered with leaf hairs, the plants are most likely to get along well with this condition.

So-called tap roots, i.e. roots that reach deep into the earth, also ensure good tolerance towards them Drought, because they supply the plant with water even after the upper layers of the earth have long been are dried out. If you have decided on a drought-resistant plant, however, you have to consider one thing: as well as the plants can deal with drought, they react badly to waterlogging. So that the plants can also thrive in autumn or winter, it is particularly important that they have a place with particularly well-drained soil.

The 10 best plants that don't need watering

Do you want to save yourself the hassle of watering and lugging water around in summer? Then these ten drought-resistant plants are just right for you.

10. Girl's eye

Colorful flowers despite hot summer days promise the girl's eye (Coreopsis). The colorful flowers that cover the perennial from June to October are the trademark of the plant and make you a real eye-catcher. The new hybrids in particular, which not only bloom in yellow but also in many other colors, look particularly beautiful in the garden. At the same time, the girl's eye is also very robust and copes very well with drought - the perfect plant for a colorful summer.

9. rosemary

rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) belongs to Mediterranean cuisine like salt in soup. Who should be surprised, after all, the plant originally comes from the Mediterranean region. Due to its origin, rosemary likes it warm and prefers too dry than too moist, which is why it hardly needs to be watered. The evergreen shrub not only enriches the kitchen, but also the bed with its wonderful aroma. The shrub smells very intensely and gives your garden an exotic flair. In early spring, the rosamarine shows itself again from its most beautiful side and with its small flowers not only flatters the eyes, but also attracts numerous insects.

Tip: As a Mediterranean plant, rosemary needs little fertilizer - if it is not repotted and does not get fresh potting soil, it is still happy about an annual fertilization. That's what this is for Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effects excellently suited.

8. Mullein

With an imposing height of 1.5 to 2 m, they make Mullein (Verbascum) lives up to its name. Only the Phoenician Mullein (Verbascum phoenicum) remains significantly smaller with a maximum height of 70 cm and is therefore also suitable for gardens that are not so large. The flower of the mullein is particularly pretty, because its upper end is covered with flower buds that open one after the other from bottom to top. The flowers are mostly bright yellow, but there are also hybrids with unusual colors. Since the mullein is primarily at home in rocky steppes and dry mountain slopes, dry summers are not a problem for them either - they therefore usually do not need additional water.

7. sage

sage (Salvia) is not only delicious and healthy as a tea, but also a real gem for every ornamental garden. Especially its purple, pink or white flowers, which, depending on the species, appear on loose ears on the plant from May to September, make the sage a real beauty. But not only its healing powers and its appearance make the sage so popular - its variability and robustness also contribute to the charm of the sage. So you can between numerous different varieties - from the classic medicinal plant such as the real sage (Salvia officinalis) to the purely ornamental plant such as the crested sage (Salvia viridis), Select. But they all have one thing in common: drought usually does not harm sage.

6. Poppy

It used to be on every field, today it is seldom seen. Poppy (Papaver) can only be found here and there today. It is all the more pleasant when you can offer the plant a place in your garden. And the poppy really deserves it: With its deep red flowers, it is simply breathtakingly beautiful and a real highlight in the garden. At the same time, however, the poppy is also very robust and can even survive longer periods of drought without help - it only tends to develop fungal diseases if the humidity is too high. But not every type of poppy is suitable for the home garden: while you Corn poppy (Papaver rhoeas) or Turkish poppy (Papaver orientale) can cultivate in their own garden without problems, the cultivation of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) prohibited without official approval, as it falls under the Narcotics Act.

5. Blue rhombus

The pinnate Perovskia (Perovskia abrotanoides), mostly known as blue rue, is a steppe plant and is ideally suited to dry, rain-free summers. The silver-gray color of its shoots is not only particularly irritating, but also protects the plant from overheating by reflecting sunlight. Therefore, the plant does not usually need additional watering, a little water is only recommended if the drought persists. But it's not just their unusual leaf color that makes the blue rue a real feast for the eyes - delighted between July and October the blue-rue their gardener with numerous blue-violet flowers, the entire inflorescence occupy a height of up to 50 cm can.

4. Stone herb

Low, compact, robust - the stone herb (Alyssum) with its decorative flowers is an uncomplicated plant for easy-care gardens. Even in joints or cracks in dry stone walls, stone herbs thrive without any problems and without a lot of care. The stone herb with its hairy, small leaves copes well with drought, so that it only needs to be watered in exceptional cases. Its flowers in particular make it a real eye-catcher: the bright yellow flower clusters stand out In early April and transform the plant into a sea of ​​flowers, which is why it is also good as a ground cover suitable.

3. Houseleek

Dryness? For the houseleek (Sempervivum) no problem - this plant grows even where other plants have no chance. This is one of the main reasons for its botanical name, which, loosely translated, means “ever-living”. In fact, the houseleek can withstand extreme drought and heat, but also freezing temperatures, which is why it is often used as a beautiful ground cover or as a green roof. In addition to its extraordinary robustness, the plant is also characterized by its grace and its numerous variations: There are well over 5000 varieties that have all possible rosette shapes and sizes, but also leaf colors - from green to bright red - exhibit.

2. Wollziest

A plant with hair? And should they also protect against drought? What may sound strange at first is the Wollziest's secret recipe (Stachys byzantina). In fact, the hairs on the leaves are not there to keep the plant warm, but rather to ensure that as little water as possible evaporates from the leaves. This enables the plant to make ends meet even in particularly dry times without watering. But the leaves not only ensure better drought tolerance, but also ensure the unique appearance of the Plant: The leaves look a bit like animal ears and make a great leaf decoration in the garden when you stroke them allowed is.

1. Sedum plant

the Sedum plant (Sedum) is one of the real drought specialists - its fleshy, rounded leaves look really good not only decorative, but are also a water reservoir that they can use when it is very dry provided. So it's no wonder that the sedum plant can withstand long dry periods without watering and still doesn't wilt. At the same time, the sedum plant is also a real all-rounder in the garden: low-growing ones Stonecrop species can be used ideally as a pretty ground cover, taller species like the big one Sedum (Sedum telephium) can be wonderfully integrated into shrub beds and are real butterfly magnets. The sedum plant with its countless small flowers really beautifies every garden. It is best to work some fertilizer - for example the Plantura organic universal fertilizer - when planting in the ground. This is how you promote soil life in your garden.

A list of more easy-care plants for your garden can be found here.