As water conservation in the landscape becomes more and more vital it has lead many gardeners to plant perennials that are not heavy drinkers.   The list of perennials below are very tolerant of hot dry conditions.

• Asclepias  (Butterfly Weed)
• Coreopsis
• Gaillardia
• Liatris
• Daylilies
• Achillea
• Shasta Daisy
• Sedum
• Heliopsis
• Echinacea
• Buddleia  (Butterfly Bush)
• Thyme

Water conservation tips:

1. Over watering the garden is a huge waste of water. Most plants will grow and thrive with only 1 inch of water per week.  Next time you turn on the sprinkler set  empty tuna cans (the cans are about an inch deep) along the outside edge of the sprinkler pattern: time how long it takes to fill them.  This is all the water they need for the week.
2. When possible always water during the morning this cuts down on waste due to evaporation.  If a plant is badly wilted you should water it no matter what time of day.
3. Always water deeply - just wetting the top of the ground often does more harm than good.
4. Use a good layer of organic mulch to keep roots cool and to conserve ground moisture.  Be careful not to mulch to deeply around the plants base as this can lead to disease and insect attacks.