The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Drought-tolerant shrubscome in mighty handy for people with busy lifestyles.
When you are busy with a career, plant care may go on the back burner now and then.
Then there is your precious vacation time, invaluable for relieving stress.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The exception will be with thedrought-tolerantshrubs and other tough plants that you grow.
Below are some examples.
Thelavender-colored flowersof this drought-tolerant shrub bloom for a long time.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Other good points are that deer don’t eat it, and its leaves are fragrant.
Secondly, plant developers have been working hard to produce cultivars of this shrub that are non-invasive.
One such cultivar is’Blue Chip' butterfly bush.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Its blue needles may give you ideas for some nice color combinations.
It looks good next tobushes with golden leaves, for example.
As a compact bush, it will appeal to those landscaping in small spaces.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
In Florida, it grows like a weed.
The jury is still out on whether some of the cultivars have shaken that “invasive” label.
This prickly bush with red berries is truly one of the tough customers of the landscaping world.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Virginia Sweetspire
Once mature, Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica) is a fairly drought-tolerant shrub.
As such, consider it as an alternative to burning bush, an invasive plant mentioned below.
Heavenly Bamboo
This plant may be heavenly, but it is certainly not a true bamboo.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The latter part of its nickname comes from the resemblance of its stems to those of real bamboo.
Use the scientific name of the plant,Nandina domesticato avoid confusion.
Bamboo or not, it is a popular bush in the American Southeast.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
Lovers of crafts may know the berries for their traditional use in making candles.
As if the berries were not colorful enough in fall, the leaves also turn reddish.
That horizontal growth habit can be promoted through pruning.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Just prune out branches that want to grow high.
In the meantime, fall-foliage lovers may wish to use Virginia sweetspire (see above) as a substitute.
Privet
Privet (Ligustrum) enjoys quite the legacy as ahedge plant.
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
But many will be content to grow it as a low-maintenance bush that you prune a bit in spring.
After that, you’re free to pretty much forget about it.
Bougainvillea
It is no surprise that this plant qualifies as a drought-tolerant shrub.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
Many of you who live in or have traveled to arid regions know bougainvillea well.
It is well-known by those who live near the Mojave Desert.
You, as the grower, are the one who controls how this native Chinese plant acts.
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / Evgeniya Vlasova
The Spruce / David Beaulieu
