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Think pink: Five drought tolerant plants

Posted on June 2, 2015 by Sonoma Valley Sun

When I was very young I only wanted to wear pink. I was thrilled when I got pink colored candy and yearned for pink toys, a pink school bag, and pink doll clothes. I requested that my parents paint the room I shared with my oldest sister pink. I dreamed of living in a pink house. You might say I was obsessed with pink. At some point that changed. Some kids at school made fun of pink. It wasn’t cool. So I took my love of pink underground. It was always my favorite color. I just didn’t admit it.

There is a lot of fun information about pink online. Pink, the experts say, is calming, caring, non-threatening and immature. Colormatters.com informs us that even though pink is typically associated with girls and blue with boys, there was a time in Europe and America where the opposite was true.

Pink is not one of main colors found on the color wheel. Pink is officially a tint, created from a combination of red and white. Some pinks have blue in them, such as the color raspberry. Other pinks have orange hues such as salmon.

Below I describe five drought tolerant plants with pink flowers:

Asteraceae flower
Santa Barbara Daisy (Hectonichus, CC BY SA 3.0)

Santa Barbara Daisy (Erigeron karvinskianus). This is a sweet little sub-shrub growing 1’ high by 2-3’ wide. It actually has white flowers with pink edges but the overall effect is pink to my eye. It is a rapid grower and spreads with glee. It can easily be contained with occasional shearing. SB Daisy is deer resistant and prefers sun or part-shade. It is also called Fleabane.

Lantana (Lord Koxinga, CC BY SA 3.0)
Lantana (Lord Koxinga, CC BY SA 3.0)

Lantana (Lantana camara). The lantanas are a group of fast-growing, sprawling ground-covers that are striking on sunny banks, overhanging walls and in pots. The can be frost tender but typically recover with warmer weather. They bloom all summer and fall and attract loads of butterflies and bees. “Pink Caprice” grows 3’x3’.

New Zealand Tea Tree (Toby Hudson, CC BY SA 3.0)
New Zealand Tea Tree (Toby Hudson, CC BY SA 3.0)

New Zealand Tea Tree (Leptospermum scoparium). This tree typically blooms just once a year, in spring. But this fine textured, dense shrub really packs a punch when is flowers. Bees love it! It makes a solid 8-10’ hedge or screen. New Zealand Tea Tree prefers sun and heat. “Gaity Girl” and “Pink Pearl” are two pink blooming cultivars.

Beard Tongue (Susan Barnum, CC BY SA 4.0)
Beard Tongue (Susan Barnum, CC BY SA 4.0)

Beard Tongue (Penstemons sp.). Penstemons, pictured, are perennials but typically stay green all winter long in northern California. They grow best in the sun but appreciate a little afternoon shade in really hot areas. The cultivar “Huntington Pink” can reach 2-4’ tall but stays narrow at about 18” wide. It has a bright pink exterior and pale pink interior. P. hartwegii “Phoenix Pink” is small, growing 1-2’ tall and 1” wide. Its blossoms are pale pink. Deadhead regularly. Prune back your penstemons in the winter so they doesn’t get too rangy. All penstemons are loved by hummingbirds and butterflies.

Rock Rose (Leonora Enking, CC BY SA 2.0)
Rock Rose (Leonora Enking, CC BY SA 2.0)

Rockrose (Cistus sp.). Rockroses are tough, heat tolerant, deer resistant, dark green mounding shrubs that bloom spring or early summer. They require excellent drainage so plant them on a slope or mound if you have drainage issues in your garden. C. incanus (Pink Rockrose) grows 4’x6’ so give it enough room or you’ll end up pruning it all the time. C x skanbergii grows 2-3’ tall by 3’ wide and has lovely pale peachy pink flowers.

This article is the sixth in a series dedicated to drought tolerant plants organized by flower color. Previous articles covered white, orange, yellow, red, and blue water-wise flowering plants. Feel free to comment on this article posted in the blog section of Sonomasun.com or my website, www.wildwillowdesign.com/blog. I appreciate your feedback.




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