“The love of a mother is the veil of a softer light between the heart and the heavenly Father.” Samuel Taylor Coleridge. “I got to grow up with a mother who taught me to believe in me.” Antonio Villaraigosa. “I remember my mother’s prayers and they have always followed me. They have clung to me all my life.” Abraham Lincoln. “Mother is the name for God in the lips and hearts of little children.” William Makepeace Thackeray.

May is off to a fast start as the days of week two come and go. Hints of summer abound throughout each day as the temps reach the high 80’s. And memories of spring are renewed each evening to early morn as the temps fall back into the 60’s. Enjoy this transition time in weather because it won’t be long until the heat of summer dominates both our days and nights.

As you continue your landscaping efforts, make choices and decisions that further promote sustainability and environmental stewardship, as well as curb appeal. With sustainability comes 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.

The following drought tolerant plants by common and botanical names can prove very useful in your planning process. The botanical name eliminates any confusion that might be created by variations in common names between geographic regions or zones.

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. Be on the lookout for children playing and bicyclists riding along the streets and roadways throughout our communities. Pay attention to school buses and respect their stop signs and other signals as they transport our children to and from school and home. And remember to safely share the road with motorcycles. Drive alert and arrive alive. Don’t drive distracted or impaired, don’t text while driving, and “click-it” or ticket. Let’s keep everyone safe while enjoying the spring season! Help the homeless every chance you get. And as you receive blessings, always pay them forward and share with others.

Be reminded that the Storehouse at Heritage Church Moultrie will be having their monthly (second Monday, second Thursday) thrift sales for missions on Monday, May 13 (4-7pm), Monday, Jun 10 (4-7pm) and Thursday, Jun 13 (9am -1pm) on Pavo Road. Also, continue to be in prayer for our annual Peru Mission Trip on June 10-17. 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. Happy Mother’s Day to all mothers out there!

“Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.” Proverbs 31:10. “Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.” Proverbs 31:28. “Honor thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.” Exodus 20:12.

Eddie Seagle is a Sustainability Associate, Golf Environment Organization (Scotland), Agronomist and Horticulturalist, CSI: Seagle (Consulting Services International), Professor Emeritus and Honorary Alumnus (Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College), Distinguished Professor for Teaching and Learning (University System of Georgia) and Short Term Missionary (Heritage Church, Moultrie). Direct inquiries to csi_seagle@yahoo.com.