Flowery Mix for a Sunny Spot

This flower-filled, drought-tolerant plant combination is inspired by a perennial vignette I've been growing in my own sun-drenched parking strip garden. It's at its peak high summer into fall, but I've included some evergreen, structure-making plants to ensure that it holds its own over a long season. Its evergreen foliage frame consists of the Somerset lawson cypress and Yucca 'Color Guard.'

Varied flower shapes create a visually dynamic scene; spires, globes, umbels, panicles, and wands! Oh my!

I've been growing Verbascum 'Gainsborough' for many years and got my plants long ago. It's fallen out of cultivation locally, though I've seen it available online via mail order. Seeking an alternative Verbascum (aka Mullein) that is being offered locally would work just as well. It has a tendency to lean without staking, which I don't often bother with. If that will bug you, you might want to support it or select a shorter or stouter variety. The yarrow that I've included is Achillea 'Firebrand' which is quite similar to A. 'Walther Funcke' or A. 'Paprika'. Substituting either of those would yield a similar effect.

This is a casual and blowzy combo that won't likely satisfy those seeking a tidier look. All in all, it's a pretty loose and free-flowing plant combination, but I've been enjoying it very much and so have the butterflies, bees, and hummers.


Growing Conditions

Zone: 6, 7, 8, 9
Exposure: Afternoon Sun, Full Sun
Water Needs: Drought-tolerant, Low

Design Considerations

Style: Cottage, Mediterranean, Naturalistic, Northwest Eclectic, Waterwise, Wildlife Friendly
Features: Attracts Pollinator, Deer Resistant, Drought Tolerant, Flower Fest, Varied Foliage, Texture, and Form, Warm Colors, Wildlife Friendly
Focus: Hellstrip / Parking Strip, Saving Water
Seasons of Interest: Late Spring / Early Summer, Late Summer / Early Fall, Summer

Care and Maintenance


Maintenance Level: medium
Maintenance Tasks: Cut Back to Rejuvenate, Deadheading, Divide Plants to Rejuvenate



Plants In this Combo