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Water-Wise and Drought Tolerant Herbs |
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Even though we received a good amount of rain this Spring we
still need to be conscious and concerned about our water use
here in Central Texas and in so many other parts of the country
as well. Global warming is no longer a debatable topic.
It is happening.
We all need to be aware 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
plus One, are considered drought-tolerant or better yet,
Water-wise.
These include;
Purple
coneflower, Echinacea
purpurea; Chaste tree,
Vitex agnus-castus; Passionflower,
Passiflora incarnate; Garden Sage,
Salvia officinalis; Horehound,
Marribrum vulgare; Mullein,
Verbascum thapsus and
Rosemary, Rosmarinus
officinalis.
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.
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.
Goldenrod,
Solidago
altissima.
A frequently overlooked herb, this beauty doesn’t need
any extra water at all.
Its 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.
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.
Other Water-wise herbs for our local gardens include
Thyme, Oregano,
Rosemary, 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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Know Your
Herbs!
Use the
THE
HERBAL INFORMATION
INDEX
to research any herb
contained in an EZ Herbs product.
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