The following is a list of herbaceous plants that are drought tolerant, once established. Some of those listed may not look "pretty" in a severe drought, but usually survive. Those marked with (*) are native to North America.
| Perennials |
- Achillea sp. - Yarrow
- Agastache foeniculum - Anise Hyssop*
- Arabis procurrens - Rock Cress
- Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed*
- Amsonia sp. - Blue Star Flower*
- Artemisia ludoviciana - Wormwood*
- Asclepias tuberosa - Butterfly Weed*
- Aster divaricatus - White Wood Aster*
- Aster ericoides - Heath Aster*
- Aster laevis - Smooth Aster*
- Aster lateriflorus - Calico Aster*
- Aster novae-angliae - New England Aster*
- Aster novi-belgii - New York Aster*
- Aurinia saxatile - Basket of Gold
- Baptisia australis - False Blue Indigo*
- Boltonia asteroides - Boltonia*
- Calamintha nepeta - Savory Catmint
- Centaurea montana - Mountain Bluet
- Centranthus ruber - Red Valerian
- Chrysanthemum nipponicum - Nippon or Montauk Daisy
- Coreopsis tripteris - Tall Coreopsis*
- Coreopsis verticillata - Threadleaf Coreopsis*
- Dianthus sp .- Pinks, Carnations
- Dictamnus albus - Gas Plant
- Echinacea purpurea - Purple Coneflower*
- Echinops ritro - Globe Thistle
- Epimedium sp. - Barrenwort
- Eryngium sp. - Sea Holly
- Euphorbia amygdaloides 'Rubra'
- Euphorbia dulcis 'Chameleon'
- Euphorbia polychroma - Cushion Spurge
- Gaura lindheimeri - White Gaura*
- Gallardia x grandiflora - Blanket Flower
- Geranium macrorrhizum - Bigroot Geranium
- Helleborus foetidus - Bearsfoot Hellebore
- Helleborus niger - Christmas Rose
- Helleborus orientalis hybrids - Lenten Rose
- Hemerocallis - Daylily
- Hibiscus moscheutos - Common Mallow *
- Hosta sp.- Hosta
- Hypericum androsaemum - St. John's Wort
- Lavandula sp. - Lavender
- Liatris aspera - Rough Blazing Star*
- Liatris spicata - Spike Gayfeather*
- Liriope spicata; L. muscari - Lily-Turf
- Nepeta sp. - Catnip
- Origanum vulgare - Oregano
- Penstemon digitalis - Smooth White Penstemon*
- Perovskia atriplicifolia - Russian Sage
- Phlox subulata - Moss Phlox*
- Phlox stolonifera - Creeping Phlox*
- Polygonatum commutatum - Great Solomon's Seal*
- Rudbeckia fulgida - Black Eyed Susan*
- Rudbeckia laciniata - Cutleaf Coneflower*
- Salvia x sylvestris (superba, nemorsa) - Salvia
- Sedum sp. - Sedum
- Sempervivum sp.- Hens and Chicks
- Stachys byzantina - Lamb's Ears
- Stokesia laevis - Stokes' Aster*
- Thymus sp. -Thyme
- Verbascum sp.- Mullein
- Yucca filamentosa - Adam's Needle*
|
| Ornamental Grasses |
- Andropogon geradii - Big Bluestem*
- Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Karl Foerster' - Feather Reed Grass
- Calamagrostis x acutiflora 'Overdam'
- Carex morrowii 'Ice Dance' ; C. 'Variegata' - Sedge
- Carex 'Evergold' - Sedge
- Carex pensylvanica - Sedge*
- Chasmanthium latifolium - Northern Sea Oats*
- Eragrastis spectabilis - Purple Love Grass*
- Festuca glauca - Blue Fescue
- Panicum virgatum - Switch Grass*
- Schizachyrium scoparium - Little Bluestem*
- Sorghastrum nutans - Indian Grass*
- Sporobolus heterolepis - Prairie Dropseed*
|
| Ferns |
- Dennstaedtia punctilobula - Hay-scented Fern
- Dryopteris marginalis - Wood Fern
|
Written by: Deborah Swanson
Revised: 09/2011