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There are many Water-Wise and drought tolerant herbs that grow well
in Central Texas. It is of great importance that we all continue to
use our resources, gently, particular our water. We have been having
little moisture here of late and it is concerning. My friend Linda,
calls it the “no rain policy of Austin”. Global warming is no longer
a debatable topic. It is happening. We all need to be conscious of
this and do everything we can to help heal this very serious
situation. Those of us who are gardeners can focus more on planting
drought-tolerant, xeriscape herbs and plants. Many of us already do
this by using Natives in our gardens, but there are also many herbs
that are water-wise as well.
Many herbs already listed on Ellen’s
Dynamic Dozen are considered drought-tolerant or better yet,
Water-wise. These include:
| Purple
coneflower,Echinacea purpurea |
Mullein, Verbascum
thapsus |
Garden Sage, Salvia
officinalis |
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| Chaste tree, Vitex
agnus-castus |
Rosemary,
Rosmarinus officinalis |
Passionflower,
Passiflora incarnate |
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Horehound, Marribrum vulgare |
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Other herbs that I have found to be quite drought-tolerant and
lovely in the garden include:
| Yarrow, Achillea
millifolium; the plant of a thousand leaves is a perennial herb
that is used as a styptic in stopping bleeding, both internally
and externally. I like to use the white Yarrow, but the plant
comes in various colors of reds, pinks and yellow. |
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| Goldenrod, Solidago
altissima. A frequently overlooked herb, this beauty doesn’t
need any extra water at all. It’s flowing yellow blossoms
arrive in the fall creating fields of serene, swaying blooms.
Goldenrod is used as a gentle diuretic and also to aid in
respiratory problems. |
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Lavender, Lavendula spp. If you’re clever enough to grow
Lavender you know that it doesn’t require much water. Lavender
is an exceptionally useful medicinal herb. It is used to reduce
stress, calm the mind and body to promote a good night’s sleep
and to help heal burns and other skin problems. There are
numerous varieties of Lavender that will grow in our Central
Texas environment including English, French and Spanish. |
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Borage, Borago officinales, this beautiful herb is also
water-wise and will reappear in the garden every year. Its
large leaves can be used for respiratory issues (although there
are better choices, such as Mullein and Horehound), and its
lovely small blue flowers are high in GLA and useful in treating
arthritis and joint pain. The flowers are also edible and can
act as an anti-depressant. |
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Other Water-wise herbs for our local gardens include Thyme, Milk
Thistle, Yellow Dock and many of the Salvias.
PLEASE BE WATER CONSCIOUS and plant these herbs
in your gardens to conserve our precious resource, our life giving,
water.
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