Since rainfall is a wish rather than a reality, I&8217;m planting a lot of drought tolerant plants that can withstand the lack of water.

As a semi-groundcover, I have added a moss rose named Yubi. It is like a fat-leaved portulaca with almost fluorescent blooms. The blooms open in the early morning and close during the heat of the day. Yubi is sold as an annual, but will sometimes self seed for next year.

For groundcovers you can also add some varieties of stonecrop sedums. Sedums come in all shapes and sizes for sun and/or shade applications.

Another plant that I just added to my perennial beds is the Double Decker Echinacea. Like the traditional cone flower it is drought tolerant, but it has one other neat feature. Not only are the petals pointing in a downward angle like a badminton birdie, but the flowers have petals on the top of the cone pointing upward. It&8217;s really a cool looking flower.

Zinnias are another favorite of mine. You can&8217;t have enough zinnias in your planting beds. This year I planted about eighty Linarius zinnias in two colors; about the same as last year. I had forgotten how well they self seed. These little beauties popped up all over the bed and now I have about three hundred of them! Oh, well. The flower bed was too symmetrical anyway.

Lantana is a classic drought tolerant perennial that can be used in all full sun applications. Be sure to check the tag before buying your lantana. You&8217;ll want to know how big the particular variety you want will be at maturity.

Back to sedums; I have had continued success with Autumn Joy sedum. It grows to about 16 inches tall and blooms from late summer till fall. This sedum will spread from year to year so you don&8217;t have to buy many for each planting bed.

All of these plants can be purchased at your local garden center or Co-op and will help you have a beautiful garden and conserve water at the same time.

Let&8217;s, now, do a rain dance together!

For more on these and other gardening tips listen to Home Grown Tomatoes every Saturday morning from 6 till 8 on 101.1 FM, The Source and log on to http://HGTradio.net