“The world’s favorite season is the spring. All things seem possible in May.” Edwin Way Teale. “In the under-wood and the over-wood there is murmur and trill this day For every every bird is in lyric mood and the wind will have its way.” Clinton Scollard.

May is passing very quickly and summer is drawing nearer. The days are getting hotter, but our evenings continue to be very comfortable.

Are you looking for choices and strategies to make the best decisions in your landscape? If so, then think sustainable landscaping which is a sensible and economical approach for our south Georgia landscapes.

At the very core of sustainability lies drought tolerance. A plant is drought tolerant if it can survive a dry period of two to three months without supplemental irrigation. Many of our native plants in regions experiencing such conditions are drought tolerant. To reduce the need for supplemental irrigation in your landscape, drought tolerant plants should be used. If you want to minimize long-term watering, be sure to use native or sustainable plants.

A brief list of drought tolerant plants by common and botanical names has been generated for your use. The botanical name eliminates any confusion that might be created by variations in common names between locales. This partial list provides sufficient information as you get started in your individual plant searches during the initial planning stages for your sustainable landscape.

Annual plants and flowers exhibiting drought tolerance include orange cosmos (Cosmos sulphureus), moss rose (Portulaca grandiflora), zinnia (Zinnia elegans), and Mexican zinnia (Zinnia haageana).

Perennial plants with drought tolerance include iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), Madagascar periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus), oxeye sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), daffodils (Narcissus spp.), pink evening primrose (Oenothera speciosa), asparagus fern (Protosparagus densiflorus), Mexican petunia (Ruellia brittoniana),  common goldenrod (Solidago odora), mountain marigold (Tagetes lemmonii), and Adam’s needle yucca (Yucca filamentosa).

Grasses and grass-like plants offering drought tolerance include pampas grass (Cortaderia selloana), Japanese blood grass (Imperata cylindrica), Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), switchgrass (Panicum virgatum), little bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium), Indiangrass (Sorghastrum nutans), and sand cordgrass (Spartina bakeri).

Vines having drought tolerance include Mexican creeper (Antigonon leptopus), cross vine (Bignonia capreolata), violet trumpet vine (Clytostoma callistegioides), dodder (Cuscuta spp.), creeping fig (Ficus pumila), Carolina yellow jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens), Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera  japonica), blue passionflower (Passiflora caerulea), Confederate jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides), and muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia).

Shrubs which are drought tolerant include Japanese aucuba (Aucuba japonica), butterfly bush (Buddleia davidii), American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), sweetshrub (Calycanthus floridus), sasanqua camellia (Camellia sasanqua), Japanese quince (Chaenomeles speciosa), thorny elaeagnus (Elaeagnus pungens), blue huckleberry (Gavlussacia frondosa), confederate rose (Hibiscus mutabilis), Aaron’s beard (Hypericum calycinum), gallberry (Ilex glabra), Burford’s holly (Ilex cornuta ‘Burfordii’), yaupon holly (Ilex vomitoria), Nellie Stevens holly (Ilex x ‘Nellie R. Stevens’), shore juniper (Juniperus conferta), Parson’s juniper (Juniperus davurica ‘Parsonii’), creeping juniper (Juniperus horizontalis), lantana (Lantana spp.), golden vicary privet (Ligustrum x vicaryi), southern bayberry (Myrica cerifera), Oleander (Nerium oleander), Japanese mockorange (Pittosporum tobira), India hawthorn (Rhaphiolepis indica), veddo hawthorne (Rhaphiolepis umbellata), Knockout rose (Rosa x ‘Knockout’), Cherokee rose (Rosa laevigata), rosemary (Rosemarinus officinalis), Reeves’ spirea (Spiraea cantoniensis), yellow elder (Tecoma stans), mayberry (Vaccinium elliottii), shiny blueberry (Vaccinium myrsinites), deerberry (Vaccinium stamineum), rusty black-haw (Viburnum rufidulum), Spanish bayonet (Yucca aloifolia), spineless yucca (Yucca elephantipes), and Spanish dagger (Yucca gloriosa).

Trees which are drought tolerant include red maple (Acer rubrum), silk tree (Albizia julibrissin), Chinese chestnut (Castanea mollissima), southern catalpa (Catalpa bignonioides), deodar cedar (Cedrus deodara), hackberry (Celtis occidentalis), fringetree (Chionanthus virginicus), woody goldenrod (Chrysoma pauciflosculosa), camphor tree (Cinnamomum camphora), flowering dogwood (Cornus florida), smoketree (Cotinus coggygria), Leyland cypress (Cupressocyparis Leylandii), smooth cypress (Cupressus glabra), American persimmon (Diospyros virginiana), gingko (Gingko biloba), honeylocust (Gleditsia triacanthos), Kentucky coffee tree (Gymnocladus dioicus), American holly (Ilex opaca), crape myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica), southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), Chinaberry (Melia azedarach), white mulberry (Morus alba), sourwood (Oxydendrum arboreum), shortleaf pine (Pinus echinata), slash pine (Pinus elliottii), longleaf pine (Pinus palustris), black pine (Pinus thunberall), scarlet oak (Quercus coccinea), southern red oak (Quercus falcata), sand live oak (Quercusgeminata), Shumard oak (Quercus shumardii), sassafras (Sassafras albidum), African tuliptree (Spathodea campanulata), bald cypress (Taxodium distichum), and chastetree Vitex negundo).

As you research plants that you like, keep such factors as seasonal color, texture, size at maturity (height and width), speed of growth, exposure to sun or shade, potential pests problems, deciduous or evergreen, cultural practices, and potential invasiveness in mind. Some of these plants may have invasive characteristics, but were listed because they were found in the area. Continue to think in terms of native and sustainable plants in the landscape rather than those with invasive characteristics.

Keep your hanging baskets and potted plants refreshed with water and food. Remember to feed and water the songbirds, and give your pets the care they need. Also, be on lookout for children playing and bicyclists riding along the streets and roadways throughout our communities as the weather continues its warming trend. And remember to safely share the road with motorcycles. Drive alert and arrive alive. Don’t drive distracted or impaired, and don’t text while driving. Help the homeless every chance you get. Let’s keep everyone safe while enjoying this spring season!

Many thanks to all who read this column which is an effort to provide each reader with timely and useful information. It is a small contribution on my part in “paying it forward” to my readers. In keeping with this thought, many of you know that we are planning our annual mission trip to the Peru this summer. We are currently raising funds to help finance this mission trip (discipleship journey). If you feel led to do so and would like to donate to this cause, please make a check payable to Heritage Church and mail to Eddie Seagle, Peru Mission Team, 108 Tallokas Circle, Moultrie, GA 31788. We would appreciate your prayers for a safe journey as well, and many thanks to each of you.

“The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil.” Proverbs 10:29.