Drought tolerant plants??

[RWD]

I'm looking for some drought tolerant annuals to put in my window box-like planters on the top rail of my deck. The boxes don't hold much dirt so the plants dry out pretty fast. They get full sun with 0 shade. I'm not looking for anything fancy (cheap ) just something that will add color. Home Depot has a lot of annuals comming in but I don't know what to use.

Anyone use a drip irigation system? Kinda like a dosing system for plants If I need to I will get one and run it along the top rail to water the boxes. Anything I should look for in a drip system?
Bob

[cath]

Hmm...my first thought, Bob, is for you to get in touch with your local county agent and see what they suggest for the Chicago area. (or call your local library sounds like a Ref question to me....

Second- how bout a drip hose? Dad uses one that is a porous fabric kind of thing that he snakes around in his garden and when he turns on the hose, water seeps out. That might look kind of odd, but so does a doser

One thing I've heard over and over from Dad is that flowers like lots of water. But there are ones that need good drainage and others that don't like it. Honestly, that's where your library might be able to help. Warning! If you go to the library and ask, you tell them that a librarian friend in SC suggested it. Blame it on me, I'm an AV librarian.

just a thought, Bob.

[Phishnoob]

I have had a lot of experience with drought resistant plants but for Chi Town anything you grow is gonna be toast in the winter. I have had a few cacti but the annuals need to be watered pretty much every day. I know Impatiens and some other things will pretty much wilt on you every day.

Those little dripper hoses that Cath mentioned are great. They make little tiny ones and you can customize what you have and add drip nozzles wherever you like.

The bible for all of this out here is the Sunset Western Garden Book. It is just incredible. If you do a search at Sunset Magazine they might have a Midwest version. It breaks it down into a ton of zones, talks about propogation and all the needs and runs circles around any book on fish I have ever seen.

Perry

[RWD]

Thanks cath and Perry,
The more I look into it the more I think I'll go with the drip system. I built the boxes last summer and everything was toast in a short time I just couldn't keep them watered enough. A drip system with a timer should do the trick. Thanks again, Bob

[Alice]

I had flower boxes on a south facing window, Bob, so I understand where you're coming from, lol. I had to keep the planters light so the bottoms of them were filled with packing peanuts with soil just on the top 6". I mixed peat moss in with the soil and laid some right on top to help retain the water. Geraniums worked out the best for me.

[RWD]

Hi Alice,
I found out there is an additive that can be amended into the soil made from a gel that will hold more water. Same stuff that is used to stop baby dipers from leaking LOL. Geraniums are nice. I just bought 4 flats of them last wekend. Thanks for your help

[Doug1]

Succulents like Hens and Chicks, varius Sedum sp are always a nice touch

[Alice]

True; I found some nice blooming sedum for the rockwalls at work.

[Doug1]

Dragons blood is a nice one crawling the rocks at the coast and looking for unusual succulents is almost as much fun as tidepooling

[RWD]

Hi Doug,
As a matter of fact I have hens and chicks on my list but I can't seem to find them locally. It's hit or miss at the garden centers. One day they have a thousand the next nothing.

[Spanky]

Bob

Look for that drought tolerant verbena, the one down on the dock on the fish cleaning station. It comes in light and dark purple, pink, and white.
You can tell it from the regular verbena by the really fine leaf it's got.

[Alice]

I love verbena; great for planters too, as it tends to trail over the edge.

[tdwyatt]

So Bob,

What ARE you doing with the waste water from your RO unit???

[RWD]

verbena..... hmmmm, I'll have to look into that. I think I remember what you are talking about. I'll google it and see what comes up.
Tom,
I know, I'm guilty of letting it go down the drain but the spot where it's set up is no where near the back yard plants. I'd have to drill a hole thru the wall and run the waste out there. Then I'd have a plastic hose running thru the living room (I'd get shot for that one LOL) Or, I could catch it in a can but there is absolutly no room in the utility room for that. It would be very difficult rigging something for that.

[tdwyatt]

I'll have to send you pix, Can you run it through the attic? It's easy to then run it through a smal hole in the eaves...