After our very dry summer, if you’re looking to plant a shrub or two this fall, you probably will insist that it be drought tolerant. The following shrubs have been identified as drought tolerant by several authorities:
Southern arrowwood (Viburnum dentatum)
–This native has white flowers, blue-black fruit and leaves that turn yellow to purple in autumn.
New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus)
–A small native shrub with white flowers and purple fruit in fall
Aromatic or Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)
–This species of sumac is tolerant not only of drought, but also erosion, black walnut, rabbit, clay soil, dry soil, and shallow rocky soil. It has glossy green foliage in summer and glorious color in fall. It is smaller than smooth sumac and staghorn sumac, and is great for steep hillsides and poor soil.
Red chokeberry (Aronia arbutifolia)
–Identified as drought tolerant by two important books: Piedmont Native Plants and Taylor’s Guide to Water-Saving Gardening.
Virginia Sweetspire (Itea virginica)
–clustered white flowers; red foliage in autumn
You’ve probably been noticing plants that have endured our recent drought, and a number of these survivors are NOT natives, but in dealing with climate change, we gardeners will probably have to adapt. Here’s a list of drought resistant shrubs compiled by Penn State Extension, which includes both US natives as well as non-natives:
Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora)
New Jersey Tea (Ceanothus americanus)*
Flowering Quince (Chaenomeles spp.)
Gray Dogwood (Cornus racemosa)*
Cotoneaster (Cotoneaster spp.)
Smokebush (Cotinus coggygria)
Deutzia (Deutzia spp.)
Forsythia (Forsythia spp.)
Seven-Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides)
St. Johnswort (Hypericum spp.)**
Japanese Holly (Ilex crenata)
Juniper (Juniperus spp.)**
Beautybush (Linnaea amabilis syn. Kolkwitzia amabilis)
Bayberry (Morella pensylvanica)*
Mock Orange (Philadelphus coronarius)
Ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius)*
Mugo Pine (Pinus mugo)
Fragrant Sumac (Rhus aromatica)*
Saltspray Rose (Rosa rugosa)
Spirea (Spiraea spp.)**
Coralberry/Snowberry (Symphoricarpos spp.)*
Lilac (Syringa spp.)
Nannyberry (Viburnum lentago)*
Blackhaw Viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium)*
Chastetree (Vitex agnus-castus)
Weigela (Weigela spp.)
Adam’s Needle (Yucca filamentosa)*
*denotes a plant native to the United States
** denotes plants that have species native to the United States as well as other parts of the world.
Whatever shrubs you decide to plant, be sure to give them a good start. They’ll need regular watering for the first two years at least. Once they are established, you’ll begin to reap the benefits of the drought tolerance they’re known for.
Featured Photo: New Jersey tea by Rebekah D. Wallace, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org
SOURCES:
Taylor’s Guide to Water-Saving Gardening (Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990)
Piedmont Native Plants: A Guide for Landscapes and Gardens (Repp Glaettli, Plant Va. Natives)
“Gardening for a Drought: North Carolina Native Plants to the Rescue,” North Carolina Botanical Garden (University of North Carolina)
“Heat and Drought Tolerant Plants,” Penn. State Extension