Easy-care plants: Our top 10

No more watering cans and water hoses. We 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 During the hot summer months many plants need large amounts of water and have to be watered almost every day will. But what if you didn't have to choose between lugging around heavy watering cans or brown, dead plants? In fact, there is a whole range of plants that can do well without additional water even in severe drought and still lose none of their splendor. We will show you how to recognize drought-resistant plants and which ten plants should also be included in your garden.

Easy-care plants: Traits of drought-resistant plants

One is not always sure whether a plant is particularly robust against drought or whether it should rather be watered. Fortunately, however, there are a number of traits that are unique to plants that are particularly good at drought tolerance. You should pay particular attention to the leaves: Are they fleshy and thick like in succulents, gray-green or covered with leaf hairs, plants are most likely to cope well with this condition.

So-called taproots, i.e. roots that reach deep into the earth, also ensure good tolerance Drought, because they still supply the plant with water when the upper layers of the earth have long been have dried up. If you have decided on a drought-resistant plant, 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 are given a place with particularly permeable soil.

The 10 best plants that don't need to be watered

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

10. girl eye

The girl's eye (Coreopsis). The colorful flowers, which cover the perennial from June to October, are the hallmark of the plant and make it a real eye-catcher. Especially the new hybrids, which not only bloom in yellow but also in many other colors, make a particularly beautiful picture in the garden. At the same time, the lady's eye is also very robust and copes very well with drought - the perfect plant for a colorful summer.

9. rosemary

rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis) is as much a part of Mediterranean cuisine as salt is in soup. Who is surprised, after all, the plant originally comes from the Mediterranean region. Due to its origin, rosemary likes it warm and prefers too dry to 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 intense and gives your garden an exotic flair. In early spring, the rosemary shows itself from its most beautiful side and not only flatters the eyes with its small flowers, but also attracts numerous insects.

Tip: As a Mediterranean plant, rosemary only needs a 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 he's for Plantura organic universal fertilizer with organic long-term effect excellently suited.

8. mullein

With an impressive height of 1.5 to 2 m, the mulleins (verbascum) all honor to their name. Only the Phoenician mullein (Verbascumphoenicum) remains significantly smaller with a maximum growth 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 usually bright yellow, but there are also hybrids with unusual colors. Since the mullein is primarily at home in rocky steppes and dry mountain slopes, even dry summers are not a problem for them - 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. Its violet, pink or white flowers in particular, which appear on loose spikes on the plant from May to September depending on the species, make sage a real beauty. But not only its healing powers and its appearance make sage so popular - its variability and robustness also contribute to the charm of sage. So you can between numerous different varieties – from the classic medicinal plant such as common sage (Salvia officinalis) to purely ornamental plants such as crested sage (Salvia viridis), Select. But they all have one thing in common: drought does not usually harm the sage.

6. Poppy

It used to stand in every field, but today it is rarely seen. Poppy (Papaver) can only be found occasionally along the way. It is all the more likeable if you can offer the plant a place in your garden. And the poppy really deserves it: with its deep red blossom, it is simply breathtakingly beautiful and a real highlight in the garden. At the same time, 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 poppy (Papaver rhoeas) or Turkish poppy (Papaver orientale) can be cultivated in your own garden without any problems, the cultivation of opium poppies (Papaver somniferum) prohibited without official approval, as it falls under the Narcotics Act.

5. blue diamond

The Feathered Perovsky (Perovskia abrotanoides), mostly known as blue rue, as a steppe plant is well adapted to dry summers with little rain. The silver-grey color of their shoots is not only particularly attractive, but also protects the plant from overheating by reflecting the sunlight. Therefore, the plant does not usually need to be additionally watered, only a little water is recommended if the drought persists. But it's not just the unusual leaf color that makes the blue rhombus a real feast for the eyes - a delight between July and October the blue rue attracts the gardener with numerous blue-violet flowers, the entire inflorescence reaching a height of up to 50 cm can.

4. Alyssum

Low, compact, robust - the Alyssum (Alyssum) with its decorative flowers is an uncomplicated plant for low-maintenance gardens. Even in joints or cracks in dry stone walls, the Alyssum thrives without any problems and without much care. The alyssum with its hairy, small leaves copes well with dryness, so that it only needs to be watered in exceptional cases. But its flowers in particular make it a real eye-catcher: the bright yellow flower clusters emerge at the beginning of 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. Last but not least, this is probably where its botanical name comes from, which loosely translated means “ever-living”. In fact, the houseleek can withstand extreme drought and heat, but also sub-zero temperatures without any problems, which is why it is also often used as a beautiful ground cover or as a green roof. In addition to its exceptional robustness, the plant is also characterized by its grace and its numerous variations: There are well over 5000 varieties, with 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 secret recipe for Wollziest (Stachys byzantina). In fact, the hairs on the leaves are not there to keep the plant warm, but to ensure that as little water as possible evaporates from the leaves. This makes it possible for the plant to make ends meet without watering, even in particularly dry times. But the leaves not only ensure better drought tolerance, but also the unique appearance of the Plant: The leaves almost look a bit like animal ears and make a great leaf decoration in the garden when petting allowed is.

1. sedum

the sedum (sedum) is one of the real drought specialists – namely, its fleshy, rounded leaves see not only decorative, but are also a water reservoir, which they use in severe drought provided. So it's no wonder that the sedum plant survives long periods of drought 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 Sedum species are ideal as a pretty ground cover, higher-growing species like the big one sedum (Sedum telephium) can be wonderfully integrated into perennial beds and are real butterfly magnets. The stonecrop really beautifies every garden with its countless small flowers. It is best to work some fertilizer – for example den Plantura organic universal fertilizer – when planting into 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.