Yarrow
Yarrow tolerates heat like a champ, and this easy-growing drought-tolerant perennial is also a great cut flower. Plus, deer, rabbits, and most other pests won't touch it. The plant comes in several colors, including yellow, orange, red, pink, or white blooms, so you can choose which ones best fit your garden's color scheme. Since yarrow can quickly proliferate through self-seeding, it's a good choice for container planting.
Name: Achillea varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall and wide
Zones: 3-9
Blanket Flower
A tough prairie plant, blanket flower blooms all summer and into fall. Its flamboyant flowers are usually marked with bright shades of red and yellow. Most varieties of blanket flowers offer excellent hardiness and nonstop blooms that attract pollinators. Choose nursery-grown plants for quick blooms since planting from seeds can take two years for flowers to appear.
Name: Gaillardia varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 3-8
Pineleaf Penstemon
The semi-evergreen penstemon bursts into bloom each summer, producing masses of bright scarlet-red flowers that butterflies and hummingbirds will love as much as you do, but deer and rabbits will avoid. It's a cinch to grow in any sunny spot, and this drought-tolerant perennial looks beautiful in bouquets and flower arrangements, too. Grow your garden with stem cuttings from your existing blooms for budget-friendly blooms.
Name: Penstemon pinifolius
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-10
Agastache
You can rely on agastache to be covered in blooms throughout the summer and autumn. It comes in several colorful varieties, such as 'Desert Sunrise' (shown here), which offers orange blooms that feature pink and lavender tints. This drought-tolerant perennial attracts tons of hummingbirds and also makes a pretty cut flower. Agastache has a sweet, herbal aroma, so they're perfect for herb and butterfly gardens. Plant them along the edges to deter hungry deer and rabbits.
Name: Agastache varieties
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-10
Sedum
Hundreds of sedum varieties are available; almost everyone is a tough, drought-resistant perennial flowering plant that attracts pollinators. Most varieties are grown for their blooms, though you can find some, like 'Frosty Morn,' that have beautifully variegated foliage. No matter which type you plant, the fleshy, succulent leaves will help sedum hold on to water through any dry spells. Plant creeping sedum as groundcover and to add color to rock gardens, or choose upright sedum to grow in clumps for impressive flower mounds.
Name: Sedum 'Autumn Joy'
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 3-9
Russian Sage
One of the toughest drought-tolerant perennials, Russian sage offers fragrant silvery foliage and plumes of violet-purple blooms. Taller varieties are great for the back of the border. Not only is it heat and drought-resistant, but deer, rabbits, and most other pests steer clear of it. Russian sage isn't considered invasive, but because it can self-sow and has rhizomatous roots, it can grow rapidly without being planted, so dig up unwanted growth before it gets out of control.
Name: Perovskia atriplicifolia
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 6 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Bush Sage
An all-around tough beauty, bush sage is a species of salvia that grows well in a range of conditions, produces colorful flowers, and attracts hummingbirds. Plus, it's a drought-resistant perennial. Because of its velvety leaf texture, bush sage isn't eaten by deer. What's not to love? 'Raspberry Delight' is one cultivar that offers gorgeous raspberry-red flowers over a long season, from late spring to early fall.
Name: Salvia 'Raspberry Delight'
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 6-10
Meadow Sage
Another variety of salvia, meadow sage produces eye-catching clusters of violet-blue flowers from midsummer to early fall. This drought-resistant perennial plant is also a favorite of pollinators and will help attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden. Cut the stems back when they turn brown, and meadow sage may rebloom. Plant in groups of three or more to get the best effect of meadow sage.
Name: Salvia 'May Night'
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 28 inches tall
Zones: 5-9
Mojave Sage
Among the most beautiful perennial salvias, Mojave sage produces wands of pink blooms that look good from summer well into fall. Even when not in bloom, its gray-green foliage is stunning, so you can enjoy this drought-resistant plant in every season. Native to the hills of California, Mojave sage pairs well with other salvias, lavender, penstemon, and plenty of other drought-tolerant perennials.
Name: Salvia pachyphylla
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-9
Lavender
This drought-tolerant perennial plant has it all: Lavender looks beautiful, smells amazing, and is as tough as nails (except in soggy soil). Enjoy the blue, purple, or white flowers in summer, and you can even pick some to dry and use in crafts. Most lavender is propagated from cuttings, but before doing so, make sure the plant you want to propagate isn't protected by a patent. The best types to grow in gardens are English lavender, lavendin, and French lavender.
Name: Lavandula angustifolia
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: 3 feet tall
Zones: 5-8
Lamb's Ear
An easy-to-grow groundcover, lamb's ear has soft, fuzzy leaves, which keeps deer and rabbits away. Their silvery tone helps them complement just about any plant in the garden, and despite its cuddly name, this drought-tolerant perennial is tough. Beware: Lamb's ear can spread quickly in rich soil, but it's easy to pull up any plants you don't want.
Name: Stachys byzantina
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 18 inches tall
Zones: 4-8
Globe Thistle
One of the best drought-tolerant flowers many gardeners may not have heard of, globe thistle produces round, metallic-blue flowers throughout the summer. Its interesting blooms are perfect for drying and use in dried-flower projects and other crafts. Plus, it's a cinch to grow with little watering. Grow globe thistle with complementary yellow coreopsis or yarrow, or create a monochromatic look by pairing it with purple coneflower.
Name: Echinops 'Blue Globe'
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 4-9
Purple Coneflower
It's easy to see why purple coneflower is such a popular plant. This resilient, drought-tolerant perennial blooms much of the summer, producing tons of pinkish-purple blooms that hold up really well in bouquets. Or, if you leave them in the garden, they'll attract scores of butterflies. These sun-loving blooms will grow well in containers.
Name: Echinacea purpurea
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 4 feet tall
Zones: 3-9
Amsonia
A tough yet underused perennial, amsonia produces clusters of sky-blue flowers in late spring. It's not just a one-season wonder, though. In autumn, its foliage turns brilliant shades of gold—enough to rival many trees when they put on their fall finery.
Name: Amsonia ciliata
Conditions: Full sun and well-drained soil
Size: To 2 feet tall
Zones: 3-9