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Be
Water-Wise
There are many Water-Wise and drought tolerant herbs that grow well in
Central Texas. It is of great importance that we all continue
to use our resources, gently, particular our water.
We have been having little moisture here of late and it is
concerning.
My friend
Linda, calls it the “no rain policy of
Austin”.
Global warming is no longer a debatable topic.
It is happening.
We
all need to be conscious of this and do everything we can to help heal
this very serious situation.
Those of us who are gardeners can focus more on planting
drought-tolerant, xeriscape herbs and plants. Many of us already do this
by using Natives in our gardens, but there are also many herbs that are
water-wise as well.
Many
herbs already listed on
Ellen’s
Dynamic Dozen are considered drought-tolerant or better yet,
Water-wise.
These include;
Purple coneflower,
Echinacea purpurea; Chaste tree,
Vitex agnus-castus; Passionflower,
Passiflora incarnate; Garden Sage,
Salvia officinalis; Horehound,
Marribrum vulgare; Mullein,
Verbascum thapsus and
Rosemary,
Rosmarinus officinalis.
 Other
herbs that I have found to be quite drought-tolerant and lovely in the
garden include:
Yarrow,
Achillea millifolium.
The plant of a thousand leaves is a perennial herb that is used as a
styptic in stopping bleeding, both internally and externally.
I like to use the white Yarrow, but the plant comes in various
colors of reds, pinks and yellow.
Lavender, Lavendula spp.
If you’re clever enough to grow Lavender you know that it doesn’t
require much water.
Lavender is an exceptionally useful medicinal herb.
It is used to reduce stress, calm the mind and body to promote a
good night’s sleep and to help heal burns and other skin problems.
There are numerous varieties of Lavender that will grow in our
Central Texas
environment including English, French and Spanish.
Goldenrod,
Solidago altissima.
A frequently overlooked herb, this beauty doesn’t need any extra water
at all.
It’s flowing yellow
blossoms arrive in the fall creating fields of serene, swaying blooms.
Goldenrod is used as a gentle diuretic and also to aid in
respiratory problems.
Borage,
Borago officinales,
this beautiful herb is also water-wise and will reappear in the garden
every year.
Its large
leaves can be used for respiratory issues (although there are better
choices, such as Mullein and Horehound), and its lovely small blue
flowers are high in GLA and useful in treating arthritis and joint pain.
The flowers are also edible and can act as an anti-depressant.
Other Water-wise
herbs for our local gardens include
Thyme, Milk Thistle, Yellow Dock
and many of the Salvias.
PLEASE BE WATER CONSCIOUS
and plant these herbs in your gardens to conserve our precious resource,
our life giving, water.
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