Summer-dry gardens can be beautiful. The art and science of gardening is learning which plant prosper in garden settings. Many plants are meant for summer-dry climates and don’t need lots of water, though careful irrigation improves their beauty. I do water my own California garden in summer; and so does every farm and every garden – all summer. It simply doesn’t rain. The irrigation water has to come from somewhere, other than a faucet.
All plants are drought tolerant in their native habitat and no plant can live without water. No matter where a garden is located, the tropics or the desert, the plants in that garden should naturally tolerate periods of lower than average water. They may thrive with supplemental water during dry periods but the term “drought tolerant” can be very misleading, especially in summer-dry climates.
We expect summers to be dry here in California. In summer-dry and mediterranean climates dry summers are not drought, they are normal and rainless. Gardeners learn to adapt and use plants that are native to this climate and ecoregion.
