Water use in the landscape has become a more prevalent issue as the demand increases for more residential and commercial areas to be irrigated. This increase in water use indicates a need for drought tolerant plant species. Ornamental ground covers may provide an alternative to traditional turfgrass and provide water savings. Several studies have evaluated drought tolerance of turfgrass species, including Poa pratensis and Festuca arundinacea. Ground cover species, however, have less research available regarding drought tolerance. In this study, we analyzed six ground cover species (Dianthus caryophyllus, Lysimachia nummularia, Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue’, Sedum album, Stachys byzantina, and Vinca major) and three turfgrass species (Bouteloua dactyloides, Festuca arundinacea, and Poa pratensis) to evaluate their performance during drought and recovery. We conducted two studies to simulate drought-like conditions in a greenhouse at Kansas State University from April 2024 to November 2024 and May 2024 to January 2025. During the dry downs, plants were not watered until they reached a quality rating of one (1-9 scale, 1=dead/dormant and 9=best quality). Following the dry downs, normal watering resumed for 60 d to simulate a recovery period. Data collected three times per week during the drought period included quality rating (1-9), pot weight (g), and volumetric water content (θv); and one time per week we collected leaf water potential (ΨLeaf) and stomatal conductance (gs) readings. Results show S. album performed the best lasting an average of 157 d until reaching a quality rating of one. S. byzantina, B. dactyloides, V. major, D. Caryophyllus also performed well averaging 92, 51, 46, and 40 d, respectively, to a quality of one. P. subulate, P. pratensis, F. arundinacea, and L. nummularia performed the worst, averaging 35 d to decline to a quality rating of one. Following the dry down, the 60 d recovery period showed the following species recovered: B. dactyloides [58% Percent Green Cover (PGC)], F. arundinacea (45% PGC), L. nummularia (14% PGC), S. album (11% PGC), P. pratensis (10% PGC), and V. major (5% PGC). None of the other species recovered through the recovery period. Results indicate S. album, B. dactyloides, and V.major may perform the best in landscapes experiencing drought. F. arundinacea, L. nummularia, and P. pratensis may be good options as well if rain events or irrigation resumes following a dry or dormancy period.
