Question
Hello - I live in Brentwood, TN Zone 6.  I have a large bed that receives full sun.  I have a bird bath that is surrounded by bulbs that need to be dug up, but I would like to plant something else around the area that will last longer and lower maintenance.  I would appreciate any       ideas/suggestions for heat and drought tolerant plants/flowers.

Thanks so much  

Answer
I once saw a birdbath positioned in the middle of a lawn, slightly elevated off the ground and surrounded by Hostas.  It looked so lovely to me back then that I have been putting Hostas around birdbaths for 25 years, and placing them in the center of the lawn.

If you place your birdbath smack in the center of a full flower bed, remember to place stepping stones so that you can access the interior without stepping on the soil. It will keep your feet dryer when the bed is muddy, and you will step on the same spots over and over, avoiding an accidental foot-step on seedlings/sprouts.

Make sure you use landscape fabric around your perennials. I can tell you first hand that with the time you save on weeding you can get a Master's Degree in your favorite subject, this material is just incredibly effective I cannot believe my good judgment when I pass these hidden-fabric sections in the garden.  Cover them with mulch and no one will know that it's there.  I understand that many people use newspaper sheets to similar advantage.

Have you heard the term "Xeriscaping"?  During a severe water shortage in Colorado in the 1980s, a Denver Water Department employee invented the "Xeriscape" ("xeros" is the Greek word for "dry"), a garden that would thrive in drought conditions, to help stretch the Denver water supply.

The principles of Xeriscaping have not changed.  You can use them to select plants for your low maintenance plot.

Water-thirsty lawns and fussy, fickle perennials are out.  Organics are in - compost added to your soil retain moisture and avoid wilting.  Mulching (over your landscape fabric) will not only look good, it will contribute moisture retention.

Hostas die back to the ground in winter.  If you plant tulips and daffodils under and behind them, you will have Hosta foliage covering the spent Tulips and their leaves every year.  Understand that you will have to re-plant the bulbs every year because the foliage will not be getting the light it needs to build next year's flower.  This is unfortunately the rule and not the exception anyway where Tulips are concerned.

Vine-covered birdbaths will also inject color into your garden.  I am very partial to Honeysuckle because I love the fragrance; winding around a birdbath, the Honeysuckle does not have to be monitored to make sure it is not killing a tree or plant. Like Hostas, Honeysuckle needs an occasional watering once it is established.

The vivid orange Butterfly Weed, Ascepias tuberosa, and exoticly enormous Oriental Poppies, Papaver orientalis, are drought tolerant and with good drainage will bloom dependably year after year.  Foliage for Oriental Poppies dies back during the summer after their spring bloom; this leaves room for a crop of your favorite annual(s), which for me this year turned out to be Nicotiana alata, the tall, nondescript, unimpressive Flowering Tobacco with intense fragrance in the dark.

The Giant Lollipop-shaped Allium and its smaller species are non-traditional bulbs that need almost no care, other than great drainage and the sun you are providing.  Foliage for these plants appears toward the end of the summer; stems and flowers breaking through the soil in spring to bloom are leaf-less; when leaves eventually appear, they are modestly sized rosettes that grow low to the ground and need little space.  Besides the purple A. Globetrotter, I love A. moly - a very pretty yellow about 15 inches tall, and A. caeruleum (A. azureum), and they are all simple and dependable.

When people fail at Petunias, it is almost always due to mistakes in fertilizing and overwatering.  That makes them perfect for you.  The white hybrids can be exquisitely fragrant at night, and they sparkle in the sun, creating the perfect border.  Sweet Alyssum, Morning Glories and Cosmos need little care and little water.  I do not recommend Zinnias; they are often on Xeriscape lists, but they are Mildew magnets and require spraying to look their best.  Any plant prone to disease is automatically disqualified from your list.

Surely you have a few others you have considered.  Tell me what they are and I'll give you my humble opinion on whether they will brighten your day or make your life a living h#^%ll.