Meet the Camels of the Shrub World
Drought-tolerant shrubs come in mighty handy for people with busy lifestyles. When you're busy with a career, plant care may go on the back burner now and then. Likewise, when you're busy raising children, caring for elderly parents, etc., you may not always get around to watering as much as you should.
Then there's your precious vacation time, invaluable for relieving stress. If you leave your landscaping unattended for a trip during the summer, you can't always count on rainfall for irrigation. As a consequence, while you may come home stress-free, you may find that the plants in your yard have experienced quite a bit of stress in your absence -- except for the drought-tolerant shrubs and other tough plants. Below are some examples (although I do not recommend all of them for all growers, so read carefully):
You might not think of Russian sage as a shrub. While it is, indeed, technically a sub-shrub, many folks treat it as they would a perennial flower. Call it what you will, but there's little disagreement that Russian sage's silver stems and leaves invest it with great potential for use in a variety of striking color combinations. This drought-tolerant shrub also blooms for a long time, resists marauding deer and is fragrant.More »
I know some of you, upon seeing butterfly bush listed, will immediately think "invasive." Many invasive plants are, indeed, drought-tolerant, a fact that helps account for their success in surviving and spreading. But first of all, whether the species plant is or is not invasive will depend on where you live (conduct local research before planting).
Secondly, plant developers have been working hard to produce cultivars of this shrub that are non-invasive. One such cultivar that I have grown and reviewed, myself is 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush.More »
I would categorize 'Blue Star' juniper as more of a useful plant than a drop-dead gorgeous plant, per se. Its blue needles will generate ideas for some nice color combinations, and as a compact bush it will appeal to those landscaping in small spaces. Here's another feature about Blue Star that you may find useful: like many junipers, it is a drought-tolerant shrub.More »
In the case of the species plant for barberry, we can unequivocally state that it is an invasive plant. Last I checked, the jury is still out on some of the cultivars. This red-berried bush is truly one of the tough customers of the landscaping world. Not only does it hold up well in dry conditions, but its thorns also render this deer-resistant shrub unpalatable to Bambi.More »
This plant may be heavenly, but it's certainly not a true bamboo. The latter part of its nickname derives from the resemblance of its stems to those of real bamboo. Use the scientific name of the plant, Nandina domestica to avoid confusion. Bamboo or not, it's a popular bush in the American Southeast.More »
Not to be confused with the invasive, red-berried bush mentioned above (barberry), bayberry bears gray berries. Crafts aficionados may know the berries for their use in making candles. I'm most familiar with this drought-tolerant shrub as a bush that populates the sand dunes of Plum Island in Massachusetts.More »
Cotoneaster is another red-berried bush. As if the berries weren't colorful enough in fall, the leaves also turn reddish. One thing I like about Cotoneaster horizontalis is that it can function as a ground cover, as its species name would indicate. That horizontal growth habit can be promoted through targeted pruning.More »
Like barberry, burning bush is a drought-tolerant shrub that is, nonetheless, problematic due to its invasiveness in North America. Reports suggest that the University of Connecticut has developed a seedless variety, however, so help may be on the way. In the meantime, fall-foliage enthusiasts may wish to use Virginia sweetspire (see above) as a substitute (albeit a poor substitute, from an aesthetic vantage point).More »
Then there's your precious vacation time, invaluable for relieving stress. If you leave your landscaping unattended for a trip during the summer, you can't always count on rainfall for irrigation. As a consequence, while you may come home stress-free, you may find that the plants in your yard have experienced quite a bit of stress in your absence -- except for the drought-tolerant shrubs and other tough plants. Below are some examples (although I do not recommend all of them for all growers, so read carefully):
1. Russian Sage
You might not think of Russian sage as a shrub. While it is, indeed, technically a sub-shrub, many folks treat it as they would a perennial flower. Call it what you will, but there's little disagreement that Russian sage's silver stems and leaves invest it with great potential for use in a variety of striking color combinations. This drought-tolerant shrub also blooms for a long time, resists marauding deer and is fragrant.More »
2. Butterfly Bush
I know some of you, upon seeing butterfly bush listed, will immediately think "invasive." Many invasive plants are, indeed, drought-tolerant, a fact that helps account for their success in surviving and spreading. But first of all, whether the species plant is or is not invasive will depend on where you live (conduct local research before planting).
Secondly, plant developers have been working hard to produce cultivars of this shrub that are non-invasive. One such cultivar that I have grown and reviewed, myself is 'Blue Chip' butterfly bush.More »
3. Blue Star Juniper
I would categorize 'Blue Star' juniper as more of a useful plant than a drop-dead gorgeous plant, per se. Its blue needles will generate ideas for some nice color combinations, and as a compact bush it will appeal to those landscaping in small spaces. Here's another feature about Blue Star that you may find useful: like many junipers, it is a drought-tolerant shrub.More »
4. Lantana
The plant with the orange flowers in the picture on your left is lantana. Like butterfly bush (see above), lantana can be invasive, but it depends on where you live. In Florida, it grows like a weed. As a Northerner, I'm more familiar with it in containers (be it in window boxes, hanging pots, or whiskey barrels).More »
5. Barberry
In the case of the species plant for barberry, we can unequivocally state that it is an invasive plant. Last I checked, the jury is still out on some of the cultivars. This red-berried bush is truly one of the tough customers of the landscaping world. Not only does it hold up well in dry conditions, but its thorns also render this deer-resistant shrub unpalatable to Bambi.More »
6. Virginia Sweetspire
Once established, Virginia sweetspire is a reasonably drought-tolerant shrub. Although this bush is named for the "spire" of white flowers it produces in spring, I grow it solely for its fall foliage color. As such, consider it as an alternative to burning bush, which I mention below.More »
7. Heavenly Bamboo
This plant may be heavenly, but it's certainly not a true bamboo. The latter part of its nickname derives from the resemblance of its stems to those of real bamboo. Use the scientific name of the plant, Nandina domestica to avoid confusion. Bamboo or not, it's a popular bush in the American Southeast.More »
8. Bayberry
Not to be confused with the invasive, red-berried bush mentioned above (barberry), bayberry bears gray berries. Crafts aficionados may know the berries for their use in making candles. I'm most familiar with this drought-tolerant shrub as a bush that populates the sand dunes of Plum Island in Massachusetts.More »
9. Cotoneaster
Cotoneaster is another red-berried bush. As if the berries weren't colorful enough in fall, the leaves also turn reddish. One thing I like about Cotoneaster horizontalis is that it can function as a ground cover, as its species name would indicate. That horizontal growth habit can be promoted through targeted pruning.More »
10. Burning Bush
Like barberry, burning bush is a drought-tolerant shrub that is, nonetheless, problematic due to its invasiveness in North America. Reports suggest that the University of Connecticut has developed a seedless variety, however, so help may be on the way. In the meantime, fall-foliage enthusiasts may wish to use Virginia sweetspire (see above) as a substitute (albeit a poor substitute, from an aesthetic vantage point).More »
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