Drought-avoiding plants usually make their growth during the late winter and spring and then go dormant during the summer and early fall. Plants such as daffodils, irises, poppies, pansies, and many of our woodland wildflowers are classic examples of drought-avoiding plants. These plants grow, flower, and die back before the heat of summer causes problems. Drought-tolerant plants are those plants that just sit there and take it. Most drought-tolerant plants use several of these adaptational features to survive on low amounts of annual precipitation.
Conventional landscapes use plants from moist, temperate regions such as China and Japan.
Many of these plants, such as azaleas and hollies, are shallow-rooted broadleaf evergreens. These plants are among the most sensitive to drought conditions. Native plants often are considered more drought tolerant than exotic landscape plants. This is only partially correct. Native plants such as dogwood, sweetgum, and river birch are very sensitive to droughts.