20 Best Zone 9 Drought-Tolerant Plants for your Home

If you live in a sunny state, in hardiness zone 9, chances are you’re looking for plants that can both take the heat AND still thrive in drought conditions. Lucky for you, I’ve got just the list!

Let me start you off with the Ornamental plants:

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1. Moss Rose/Purslane (Portulaca)
2. Coneflower (Echinacea Angustifolia)
3. Sage (Salvia)
4. Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)
5. Giant Hyssop (Agastache)
6. Red Yucca (Hesperaloe Parviflora)
7. Sedum
8. Echeveria
9. Catmint (Nepeta)
10. Mock Orange (Philadelphus Inodorus)
11. Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)
12. Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus)
13. Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris)
14. Prickly Pear (Opuntia)
15. Pomegranate (Punica Granatum)
16. Jujuba (Ziziphus Jujuba)
17. Grapes (Vitis Vinifera)
18. Apricot Vine (Passiflora Incarnata)
19. Pineapple Guava (Acca Sellowiana)
20. Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo)

1. Moss Rose/Purslane (Portulaca)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Fleshy green and oval-shaped leaves.
Flowers: Heart-shaped petals arranged in a circle in gold, burgundy, white, pink, or orange.
Fruit: Capsule-shaped containing multiple, tiny seeds.
Annual or Perennial: Annual.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every week.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if you still want to, mixing compost into the soil every spring will suffice.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Purslane is fast-growing and can become invasive when left on its own:

Prune the plant back in the Fall when needed.
Deadhead any spent blooms to prevent the plant from self-seeding.

2. Coneflower (Echinacea Angustifolia)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, heart-shaped leaves.
Flowers: Long, narrow petals surrounding a pointy cone center. The flowers come in a range of white, pink, purple, and orange.
Fruit: None.
Annual or Perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 2-3 weeks.
Fertilizer: Yearly feeding in spring using slow-release, all-purpose fertilizers.
Special Care: You can cut back the stems to encourage more flowers to bloom.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Coneflower has a tendency to grow in clumps. It’s advisable to separate them every 3-4 years in spring to avoid overcrowding.

3. Sage (Salvia)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green with serrated edges; they are also aromatic and edible.
Flowers: Tubular-shaped with colors such as red, purple, white, or pink.
Fruit: None.
Annual or Perennial: Both!

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks after the soil has thoroughly dried out.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if you still want to, mixing compost in the soil every spring will suffice.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. But you’ll be glad to know that sage’s flowers are great at attracting beneficial bugs such as bees and butterflies.

4. Yarrow (Achillea Millefolium)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Soft, narrow green leaves with a grey tinge resembling ferns.
Flowers: Clusters of tiny blooms ranging from cream, white, yellow, orange, purple, red, or pink.
Fruit: None.
Annual or Perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining loamy or sandy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if you still want to, mixing compost in the soil every spring will suffice.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Yarrow self-seeds very easily and can spread quickly. You can control this by regularly deadheading the blooms or even mowing them down by the end of summer.

5. Giant Hyssop (Agastache)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, scented leaves with serrated edges and a pointy end.
Flowers: Tubular-shaped flowers in burgundy, lavender, pink, white, or blue.
Fruit: Capsule-shaped.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining, loamy or sandy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: Yearly feeding in spring using slow-release, all-purpose fertilizers.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. If anything, Giant Hyssop is an all-rounder – it attracts pollinators and is generally deer- and rabbit-resistant.

6. Red Yucca (Hesperaloe Parviflora)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Long, narrow, leathery blue-green leaves.
Flowers: Tubular-shaped flowers varying in gold, pink, or red color.
Fruit: Black and capsule-shaped.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 1-3 weeks after the soil has thoroughly dried out.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. If anything, Red Yucca is a beginner-friendly, drought-tolerant plant to grow.

7. Sedum

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Fleshy, green leaves in variable sizes.
Flowers: Multiple, tiny flowers, typically red, purple, white, pink, yellow, orange, pink, or green.
Fruit: Leathery and capsule-shaped.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 7-10 days.
Fertilizer: Yearly feeding in spring using slow-release, all-purpose fertilizers.

Any precautions when growing this plant? The thick foliage falls off too easily, so be careful when handling the plant. But even if they do, you can propagate them and grow another set of sedums!

8. Echeveria

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Fleshy leaves arranged in rose-like shapes. Individual leaves can come in various shapes and sizes depending on the cultivar and species.
Flowers: Tubular-shaped that come in pink, yellow, and orange.
Fruit: None.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining, loamy or sandy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Echeveria is fussy when it comes to its light needs. Still, they can be easily fixed by observing the following symptoms:

Too much light and the leaves will get scorched.
Too little light, and the leaves will lose their color.

If your Echeveria has any other problems, you can read more about them in this article or in this indoor care guide article.

9. Catmint (Nepeta)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Soft, grey-green leaves; they are also aromatic and edible!
Flowers: Small, open lip-like flowers typically in white, blue, and/or purple.
Fruit: Long, oval-shaped nut.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once a week.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if you still want to, mixing compost in the soil every spring will suffice.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. But it’s worth noting that Catmint has a clumping growth habit. Simply separate them every few years and propagate.

10. Mock Orange (Philadelphus Inodorus)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green, oblong leaves.
Flowers: White, cup-shaped flowers.
Fruit: Dry, capsule-shaped fruit.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: Mix compost into the soil every spring.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. However, Mock Orange is less of a tree, and more of a shrub notably loved for its strong fragrance. If you have limited space in your garden, give this plant a try.

And lastly, we have the Edible plants:

11. Lavender (Lavandula Angustifolia)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Soft, aromatic green leaves. Depending on the cultivar, the leaves could also be grey or silver-tinged.
Flowers: Funnel-shaped, scented flowers usually purple but can come in pink or white.
Fruit: Capsule-shaped.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining, sandy soil.
Water: Once every 10-14 days.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None.

12. Rosemary (Salvia Rosmarinus)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Simple, green needle-like leaves. The leaves can also come in white and grey.
Flowers: Small clusters of blue or white flowers.
Fruit: Brown nuts.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining loamy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if the plant is slow-growing or is yellow, use a diluted liquid fertilizer in early spring before any new leaves sprout.

Any precautions when growing this plant? It’s better to start off with stem cuttings when planting Rosemary. You can use the seeds, but it takes a while to germinate.

13. Thyme (Thymus Vulgaris)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Simple, oval-shaped grey-green leaves.
Flowers: Tubular-shaped, scented white, pink, and/or purple flowers.
Fruit: Brown, compound fruit that eventually splits into 4 sections.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining soil.
Water: Once every 2 weeks.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Like Rosemary, the seeds are not a reliable starting point for the plant. Use stem cuttings to easily propagate thyme in your garden.

14. Prickly Pear (Opuntia)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: None.
Flowers: Cup-shaped flowers can come in pink, yellow, or orange.
Fruit: Fleshy, edible pink or red fruit. Depending on the species, the fruit can also be dry.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining, sandy soil.
Water: Once every week.
Fertilizer: Monthly feeding using a slow-release, all-purpose fertilizer. However, if you’d like to grow more flowers and fruits, opt for fertilizer high in Phosphorus.

Any precautions when growing this plant? The fleshy stem/pads of Prickly Pear roots easily when broken from the main plant. When left to grow on its own, it may become invasive.

15. Pomegranate (Punica Granatum)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Shiny, oblong green leaves that turn golden in the Fall.
Flowers: Trumpet-shaped flowers with varying colors of red, pink, white, gold, or orange.
Fruit: Round, burgundy fruit with multiple fleshy seeds inside.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Preferably well-draining, loamy soil, but it can also grow in clay and sandy soil.
Water: Once every 7-10 days.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed. But if you still want to, mixing compost in the soil every spring will suffice.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Pomegranate is often cold-hardy; however, once the temperature drops below 10 degrees F, it dies back to the ground.

16. Jujuba (Ziziphus Jujuba)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Lustrous, oval-shaped green leaves.
Flowers: Tiny gold or green flowers.
Fruit: Oval, green fleshy fruit that becomes wrinkled and burgundy when it matures.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Preferably well-draining, loamy soil, but it can also grow in clay and sandy soil.
Water: Once every week.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None.

17. Grapes (Vitis Vinifera)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Green and palmate, i.e., open palm-like.
Flowers: Tiny clusters of yellow flowers.
Fruit: Oval-shaped berries that come in green, purple, red, or black.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Preferably well-draining, loamy soil, but it can also grow in clay and sandy soil.
Water: Once a week.
Fertilizer: Yearly feeding in spring using slow-release fertilizers.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Because grapes can get unruly with their tendrils, it is best to train them to grow along with a structure early on. Don’t forget to regularly prune them for easier management and access.

18. Apricot Vine (Passiflora Incarnata)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Three-pronged green leaves that turn yellow in the Fall.
Flowers: Multiple petals arranged in a crown shape with colors such as white, pink, purple, or blue.
Fruit: Thick, green berries that mature into orange or yellow in color.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Fertile, well-draining loamy soil, but it can also grow in clay and sandy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Mulch around the plant with a loose mixture of shredded dried leaves or wood chips to help preserve moisture and protect the roots.

19. Pineapple Guava (Acca Sellowiana)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Leathery, oval-shaped green leaves that may also have shades of white or grey.
Flowers: Multiple clusters of gold, purple, white, or red flowers.
Fruit: Green outside, round berries that mature into a yellow color inside.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Well-draining clay or sandy soil.
Water: Once every 1-2 weeks.
Fertilizer: Yearly feeding in spring by mixing compost into the soil.

Any precautions when growing this plant? Birds will be attracted to the coveted fruits, so don’t be surprised if you find less than you expected during harvest time.

20. Strawberry Tree (Arbutus Unedo)

What are its prominent features?

Leaf: Glossy green and oblong-shaped leaves.
Flowers: Tiny, urn-shaped pink or white flowers.
Fruit: Reddish-orange when ripe, dull spikey berry.
Annual or perennial: Perennial.

What are its basic care needs?

Sun: 6 or more hours of full exposure to sunlight.
Soil: Preferably well-draining, loamy soil, but it can also grow in clay and sandy soil.
Water: 1-2 times a month.
Fertilizer: It is generally not needed.

Any precautions when growing this plant? None. I will mention it is delicious when made into jam, and if you live in Los Angeles you can find these pretty easily, The fruit is like a strawberry because of the skin on the outside but the inside is the consistency (not taste) of a peach. It doesn’t really taste like other fruit, in a good way haha, still sweet.

References:

https://pcmg.ucanr.org/files/241001.pdf

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/portulaca/

https://hort.extension.wisc.edu/articles/common-purslane-portulaca-oleracea/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echinacea-angustifolia/

https://hgic.clemson.edu/factsheet/echinacea/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/salvia/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/achillea-millefolium/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/agastache/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/hesperaloe-parviflora/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/sedum/

https://plants.ces.ncsu.edu/plants/echeveria/