Annuals bring incredible color and delight to any garden or landscape. However, if you are dealing with a dry growing season, it may be harder to grow them. Fortunately, there are a few drought-tolerant annuals that will be well-suited to low-water situations.
These expert-recommended plants won’t be stressed even in dry conditions and will continue to thrive, putting on a beautiful show in your garden.
Meet Our Expert
Angela Judd, certified master gardener, author of How to Grow Your Own Food, and founder of Growing in the Garden
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Related: 8 Drought-Tolerant Ground Covers for a Vibrant, Low-Maintenance Garden
01 of 07
Vinca
Periwinkle, aka vinca minor.
Credit: Georgianna Lane/Getty Images
You can enjoy lovely blooms in many different colors with vincas; they’re sun-loving and ideal for hot climates.
“My go-to drought-tolerant annual is vinca,” says master gardener Angela Judd. “Once established, it handles heat and dry conditions better than many other summer annuals.” Catharanthus roseus is not cold-tolerant, but you can start the delicate seeds indoors about three months prior to your last frost date.
Zones: 3 to 10, depending on type
Size: About 6 to 12 inches tall
Care requirements: Full sun, well-drained soil
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02 of 07
Celosia
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For an absolutely brilliant color show—often in fiery tones reminiscent of the warm climates that it’s native to—try growing Celosia argentea.
“Once it gets going, it prefers to have low water and is very strong in the heat,” says flower farmer Jennifer Joray. She notes that the colorful flower heads last for several weeks on the plant, eventually producing a plethora of tiny, shiny black seeds that are easy to save for replanting. “With the hundreds of varieties available in nearly all colors of the rainbow, and two forms (cristata and plumosa), there’s something for everyone!” she says.
Size: About 12 to 24 inches tall, but some reach double that height
Care requirements: Full sun, well-drained soil. “Grow it tighter at 4-inch spacing for a single larger head,” says Joray, “or give it more room for a thicker, branching stem that needs a pinch early in the growing season.”
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Related: 15 Annual Flowers That Bloom All Summer Long
03 of 07
Bachelor’s Buttons
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Bachelor’s buttons produce a wonderful mixture of robust foliage and small blossoms. Many of the varieties are blue, but you’ll also find white, purple, and pink, too. When bachelor’s buttons (Centaurea cyanus) are mature, they’re drought-resistant, and they grow well even in poor soil.
Size: 2 to 3 feet tall x 1 to 2 feet wide
Care requirements: Full to partial sun; well-drained sandy soil
04 of 07
Salvia
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Stunning annual salvias are another drought-hardy option. “Salvia might surprise people with how resilient it can be,” says Judd. “Many varieties handle dry conditions well once established, and they also bring in pollinators, which is a bonus.”
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The Salvia family is huge and contains some perennials and some herbs, but for the best pollinator action, don’t miss these beautiful blooms.
Size: Varies by type, from less than 12 inches up to many feet tall
Care requirements: Full sun, well-drained soil, can even be somewhat poor soil
05 of 07
Cosmos
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There are so many beautiful annual flowers, and as long as you put in the early work, you can explore many different colors and shapes. Cosmos bipinnatus is one such option.
“Annuals such as cosmos might surprise people in that they don’t need much water, despite the softly ruffled, delicate blossoms,” says Joray. “Cosmos really thrive in poor soil conditions and with little water.” Their rounded petals create a shallow bowl shape, and they bloom in great numbers.
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Size: Can reach about 48 inches tall
Care instructions: Full sun, and soil that tends towards dryness rather than excessive moisture
06 of 07
Marigold
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Those same beautiful marigolds that are deer-resistant and excellent pest repellers are also surprisingly drought-tolerant. You really can’t go wrong with Tagetes as an all-purpose, hardworking annual. It will instantly brighten your containers or landscape with cheery, long-lasting blooms.
Zones: Grown as an annual in zones 2 to 11
Mature size: 6 to 12 inches tall x 6 to 12 inches wide
Care requirements: Full sun, and be careful not to overwater
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Related: How to Plant, Grow, and Care for Marigolds to Enjoy Their Bright Blooms
07 of 07
Zinnia
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No other annual puts on a show quite like zinnia, which is one of the reasons it’s so widely grown and is beloved by so many gardeners. It’s also very drought-tolerant, especially once established. It’s possible Zinnia elegans may not bloom as abundantly or as vibrantly when conditions are especially dry, but it’s still an excellent choice.
Mature size: 14 to 18 inches tall x 20 to 24 inches wide
Care requirements: Full soil, well-drained soil
Tips and Tricks for Growing Drought-Tolerant Annuals
Plant early. Even if your specific annual is indeed drought-tolerant, there’s no reason to start it off in the midst of a stressful growing season. “My top recommendation for caring for annuals in dry conditions is to plant early in the season before it gets hot,” says Judd. “That gives the plant time to develop deeper roots in cooler soil with more access to moisture. Even drought-tolerant plants will struggle if they’re planted when it’s already hot.”
Preserve moisture with mulch. Mulching is a tried-and-true gardening method for helping plants retain what moisture they do receive. “Our top recommendation for caring for annuals in dry conditions is to give them soil with as much organic matter as possible,” says Joray. “Strangely, soil high in organic matter retains moisture and simultaneously drains moisture. High organic matter is the answer for both heavy, wet clay that retains too much moisture, and dry sandy soils that drain too well, drying out plants. Organic matter for the win!”
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