The term "Drought Tolerant Plants" is a term given to plants that once established is a plant which is able to survive in an environment with little
available water or moisture, usually in environments where potential
evapotranspiration exceeds precipitation for all or part of the growing
season.
The key to this definition is the word "established". An established plant is one that has been in the ground long enough to establish a viable root system that can adequately absorb the maximum amount of available moisture. For most plants, a plant does not become completely established until it has been through a dormant period. During a growing period a plant puts most of its energy into growing the parts above ground. During the dormancy period plants put most of their energy into root building.
Click on any of the links below to take you to the page listing those drought tolerant plants that will grow well in the lower part of zone 8 and the upper part of zone 9.
