my plant dry resistent: (2/3 year after planted) Nerium oleander acer Campestre Olea Europaea Palms Callistemon Agave Arbutus unedo Berberis Buddleja Buxus Cedrus Libani Chorisia speciosa Clematis Cotinus Cotoneaster Cycas Ficus Pinus Grevillea Jasminum Laurus Lavanda Miscanthus Quercus Ilex Rose Rosmarinus Sedum Tamarix Tilia Yucca the garden idea of Ron B. is interesting plant dry resistent around and in centre plant whit more water requirements....
Add: Callitris (if minimum temperatures do not go below -5°C) Cupressus Juniperus Tetraclinis (if minimum temperatures do not go below -5°C)
Most Australian natives if available survive on less water and don't like soils that are too rich. Some of the bottle brushes and grevillias for eg are really beautiful. Plants from South Africa and the Medditerranian area are also great. Not all things need heat many survive in a wide temperature range. Have a look at these pics of a dry landscape garden http://www.abc.net.au/gardening/stories/s1235751.htm http://www.bethchatto.co.uk/gravel.html A water saving garden wins Chelsea flowershow http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200605/s1645629.htm http://uktv.co.uk/gardens/stepbystep/aid/570391 Here is another list for you to look at Agapanthus clivias rock lilly African daisy 'osteospermum' hebes diosma choisna gazania photina lavender Metrosideros Tomentosa (New Zealand Christams Tree) dietes lomandra correa pig face californian poppies nasturtium iris ceanothus Blue pacific Jacaranda Hymenosporum flavum (native frangipani) Hardenbergia Liz
I'd add: devil's toungue spurges all varieties of aloe but especially vera and arborensis (if you don't go past -5) guitarilla (if you can find them, they grow well here in the humid desert biome of Ecuador) nopal and prickly-pear cactus all varieties of cholla blue-eyed grasses shallots (yes, you heard right. I'm growing them as flowers) and I'll second the acacias; but watch out, they can go invasive on you.
This is my tree list of native and not native species that I look growing wild in Madrid, where we have very dry summers: Platanus hispanica (perhaps the most abundant tree of the city) Robinia pseudoacacia Gleditsia triacanthos Ailanthus altissima (A really invasive tree that is displacing native species) Celtis Australis Melia azederach Ulmus pumila (another invasive) Ulmus minor Acer campestre Aesculus hippocastanum (grows weakly without irrigation) Fraxinus angustifolia Populus alba/nigra (rarely farther than riverbanks) Cedrus species (deodara/atlantica/libani) Cupressus arizonica Cupressus sempervirens Pinus pinea Pinus Halepensis Thuja orientalis Quercus ilex Olea europea Eucaliptus camaldulensis Magnolia grandifolia (grows with less vigor without irrigation) Arbutus unedo Laurus nobilis And at high altitude zones of Madrid with cooler but still some dry summer: quercus pyrenaica Pinus sylvestris Pinus pinaster Juniperus communis (it sometimes seen at lower altitudes too) Ilex aquifolium Taxus baccata Populus tremula Corylus maxima A fews Betula alba, Acer pseudoplatanus, Fagus sylvatica, Abies alba... Not all trees of this second section can be recommended for Xeriscaping at all, just in regions with not much hot, rather short, dry summers and wet, cold weather the rest of the year. Best regards, Borja
