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People who work all day hardly have time for intensive maintenance of their plants. If hot, dry summers are added, the picture on the balcony and terrace is often a little bleak. Because although watering is frequent, the potted plants suffer from heat and drought. That doesn't have to be the case, because there are some survivors among the potted plants that can survive longer periods of heat because they hardly need any water.
Low water requirement
The magic word is drought-resistant or at least drought-tolerant. This term includes plants that, because of their extremely low nutrient and water requirements, grow particularly well in nature, for example on gravelly-sandy flat land soils that allow only sparse amounts of precipitation to seep away quickly.
For example, you need little water:
- succulents
- Mediterranean plants
- Plants from desert areas and savannas
- alpine plants from high altitudes
Even if it hardly rains in the natural habitat of the plants, many of them form long root systems in order to get to the deeper layers of the earth and thus to water. Very few potted plants survive weeks of drought.
Olive tree outdoors
Mediterranean shrubs
Due to the hot summers and the barren, dry soil, which rarely sees any rainfall, plants from the Mediterranean region are much more frugal than many plants from Central or Northern Europe when it comes to water requirements. The following potted plants get along with little watering.
Triplet flower (Bougainvillea)
The bougainvillea, better known as the bougainvillea, is the star of the drought-resistant climbing plants. The Bougainvillae glabra, which originates from Brazil and originally has purple bracts, is commercially available as an ornamental plant. A triplet flower generally requires little watering. If the drought is too severe, the bougainvillea simply sheds its leaves in summer and waits for the next water supply. With a bit of luck, you can bring the plant back to life, which may have been without water for weeks during your vacation.
Triplets, bougainvillea
Smoke Tree (Cotinus coggygria)
In its Asian and southern European homeland, the wig tree usually thrives in sunny, stony locations. That is why the gardener will find a very frugal tree with this extraordinary plant that is not particularly thirsty. However, since the shrub only develops shallow roots, the water balance must not be completely lost sight of when planting in containers. However, the smokebrush will indicate when it is suffering from drought, and do so before it is harmed. Because if the leaves hang down limp, this is a clear sign that it needs to be watered again.
Smoke bush, Cotinus coggygria
Citrus plants (Citrus)
Citrus trees come from the warm south and thrive in places sheltered from the wind on the terrace or balcony. In summer, citrus plants can also tolerate extreme heat and drought. If the temperatures drop again in autumn, however, the potted plant has to go back into the apartment. At about 10 degrees, the tree survives the winter in our latitudes. With the exception of the lemon tree, which grows a bit more sprawling, most citrus plants have a rather compact appearance. With good care, they can grow up to 2.5 meters in a bucket. Watering once or twice a week is enough for the sun-loving plants.
- lemon Tree
- lime tree
- orange tree
Lemon tree in the garden
Rockrose (Cistus)
All rockrose species are native to the Mediterranean and the Canary Islands. In these dry areas, they grow on humus-poor, dry and often stony soil in full sun. Even extreme heat in the midday hours does not bother the beautiful flowering shrub. Depending on the species, cistus grows up to 80 centimeters high and has green or grey-green, fragrant foliage with fine hairs. The petals are as thin as parchment and usually look slightly wrinkled. The cistus prefers to be as sunny and warm as possible and hardly needs to be watered.
Poplar-leaved cistus, Cistus populifolius
Olive tree (Olea europaea)
The plant par excellence characteristic of the Mediterranean area is the olive tree. With its gnarled trunk and small grey-green leaves, it defies the hot and dry environmental conditions in its homeland particularly well. Between watering the olive tree, not only the top layer of soil should dry out, but also the deeper regions. Therefore, it is only poured when the root ball is already dry.
Olive tree with drupes
Native shrubs and trees
Most of the following trees and shrubs are not drought-loving, but rather classified as drought-tolerant. Many of them need very bright locations and only switch to dry areas in nature because other trees and shrubs do not grow there. When it comes to dryness, the growth and youth phase of almost all potted plants is somewhat critical. In very dry locations, ingrown shrubs develop smaller, harder leaves to protect themselves from evaporation.
Common barberry (Berberis vulgaris)
With the real barberry, also called sour thorn, you get a very undemanding shrub on the balcony or terrace. Characteristic of the Berberis vulgaris are its dark green leaves and the yellow flowers in spring, which together result in a beautiful play of colors. While the leaves turn orange in autumn, their fruits glow scarlet. A barberry copes well with occasional drought. However, the wood grows very quickly, so that one or the other cut cannot be avoided.
barberry
Fire maple (Acer ginnala)
Without a doubt, the fire maple is one of the most robust and undemanding maples of all. The small tree is perfect for planting in containers outdoors, as it grows very slowly and does not require any special care. Fire maples do not need pruning or high levels of nutrients. On the contrary: the foliage is at its most beautiful in autumn when the nutrients in the soil are a little lower. Only newly planted specimens need to be watered regularly for the first two years. Well-established trees react less sensitively to longer periods of drought.
Fire maple, Acer ginnala
Other maple species with very low water requirements:
- Norway maple
- field maple
- sycamore
Palm trees
Undemanding palm trees for balconies and terraces
Palm trees are generally considered to be plants that can get along with little water. Nevertheless, most species do not tolerate drought and the bale must be kept slightly moist at all times. Palm species that survive longer dry periods include:
Hemp palms (Trachycarpus)
The hemp palm does not care whether it is in partial shade or in full sun. This palm tolerates almost everything: heat, drought and strong winds. A hemp palm needs very little water and, on the other hand, can also tolerate short-term waterlogging. In addition, the popular container plant is very frost-resistant and can therefore remain outside in winter (with protection).
hemp palm
Very robust varieties of the hemp palm are:
- Chinese Hemp Palm (Trachycarpus fortunei)
- Wagner's hemp palm (Trachycarpus wangerianus)
Blue-leaved Yucca (Yucca rostrata)
The blue-leaved yucca, which is not actually a palm tree, is not very sensitive to a lack of water. This yucca palm is characterized by its blue-green tuft and heavily textured trunk, which is the result of the leaf bases of older, dead leaves. The robust container plant only needs to be watered very little, even in hot summers.
Blue-leaved yucca, Yucca rostrata
evaporation protection
Drought-resistant plants usually have their own protection against too much evaporation and drought. Thick-leaved plants are able to store water for a long time. Others reduce evaporation with felty-hairy leaves or their small leaf surface. However, this does not mean that the trees and shrubs generally do not need water. Almost all potted plants need sufficient amounts of moisture during the growth phase. However, the species mentioned are also well protected against one or the other dry period, so that they do not require as much care as other plants in persistent heat. But you can do something else that doesn't need to be watered as often.
- Use plastic pots or glazed tubs instead of terracotta pots
- Terracotta allows moisture to evaporate more quickly through the vessel wall
- do not choose black, but light pot colors
- Cover the plant substrate with clay granules or gravel
- Mix any water-storing granules with the substrate