As we enter the height of summer, a lot of gardeners are preparing for dry, hot weather. What types of plants should you grow to deal with drought? What types of plants do well in a dry place? Check out these articles for some suggestions.

Green gardening: Low on water? These plants don’t mind – This list of plants from The Seattle Times thrives in dry conditions. These drought-tolerant plants are also low maintenance and can look great all season long.

Gardeners go for high and dry planting – High and dry gardens conserve water. These water-wise gardens usually showcase native plants, which offer season-long color and need little maintenance.

Chicago-area gardeners thirst for rain barrels – Demand for rain barrels in many cities has outpaced supply. Gardeners, eager to conserve water and save on their water bills, have snapped them up as quickly as they come in. Makes sense, given how easy they are to install and how much money you can save by using rainwater.

Use ornamental grasses to add special dimension to any garden – During the summer, ornamental grasses can thrive in hot, dry weather. In winter, they offer stand-out structure under the snow.

Water saving garden for summer drought – This brief article offers quick tips to plant a drought-tolerant garden.

We are in the midst of severe drought up here on the shores of Lake Superior. The last time I remember any significant rainfall, my sister still hadn’t gotten married (read: June). I figured this would be a good time to pass along some great resources and tips about dealing with drought.

You can see where the National Weather Service classifies the drought in your neck of the woods by visiting the U.S. Drought Monitor site. They have an easy-to-read map that shows the severity of drought across the country. You can see in northern Wisconsin the drought has had an impact on both agricultural crops and the hydrological levels of lakes, rivers and water tables.

I’m currently doing a lot of watering to make up for the lack of wet stuff falling from the sky. We have soaker hoses throughout our garden, and I turn them on for about an hour every other night. Container plants really need to be watered every day, especially when the temperature rises and compounds the lack of water. (On these hot, humid days I wish I could just wring the water out of the air.) I have rain barrels on my list of things to buy for the garden next year, but we sure could use them right now.

I found this brief, informational article about how to garden during drought conditions at the Pennsylvania State Web site. (It’s a pdf, so you’ll need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view it.) A lot of it is common knowledge (use drought tolerant plants and mulch properly), but I thought the idea about saving water in a bucket while you wait for it to get hot made sense. I tend to dump my unused tea water on the house plants, and use my son’s pool water in the flower beds.

Here’s another article about how to garden in a drought over at Gardener’s Supply. The author focuses on making the soil better (more friable) so that your plants can set good roots. She also discusses transpiration (water loss through a plants leaves), and how to diminish it’s effects.

Finally, if you are in the market for drought-tolerant plants, check out the selection at High Country Gardens. These folks specialize in dry-land plants that will do well in places that tend to hit a hot and dry point during the summer. They also carry a selection of low-water grasses for lawns, books about xeriscaping and have a large online library of articles. Check them out if you live in a dry area.