The 7 Best Drought Tolerant Shrubs For Hot Climates

by John Griffith
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Growing a beautiful garden in a warmer environment can be tricky. Not a lot of plants can withstand such dry conditions. But there are a still a lot of wonderful plants you can add to your property that will not only handle these conditions like a pro, but will also thrive in them. You can easily create a beautiful garden with their help and give life to your property. But even if you don’t live in a dry climate, these plants are a great choice for people with busier lifestyles that may not have all the time in the world to tend to the garden. So, if you are in need of some inspiration before you start buying shrubs, we’ve got you. Here are some of the best drought tolerant shrubs you can add to your garden.

Growing a beautiful garden in a warmer environment can be tricky, but not impossible

beaty bush big

Drought Tolerant Shrubs

Shrubs are super versatile plants and that is one of the many reasons we love them. Some have shiny green leaves, other bright flowers, some are small, other big. There is a shrub for everyone. These shrubs will have no problem recovering from wilting and bouncing back to life after sun bathing in the scorching sun all day. But since each variety has a different temperature and drought tolerance, so it is important to choose based on your environment. This will ensure the plant thrives and you can enjoy its beauty for years.

Shrubs are super versatile plants and that is one of the many reasons we love them

bees on flowers of blue mist shrub

#Indian Hawthorn

The Indian hawthorn is an evergreen shrub that is considered to be small-to-medium sized. It has a snug, round growing pattern making it a great option for hedges. This shrub has beautiful long leaves that are decorated with fragrant clusters of light pink flowers. Its leaves have a nice bronze hue before they turn into a dark, lush green color. And in the summer it produces small berries that even stick around throughout the winter. While this shrub does like getting regular watering, it has no problem going through some short periods of drought. If you notice the leaves wilting, make sure to give it a watering immediately.

The Indian hawthorn is an evergreen shrub that is considered to be small-to-medium sized

drought tolerant shrubs pink indian hawthorn

#Blue Sun Juniper

These shrubs are best suited for smaller spaces, so they are a great choice for small patio areas or for foundation beds. It’s also a great choice for naturally edging your garden. The blue sun juniper has beautiful blue-silver foliage that likes to spread across its branches. It grows lower than most shrubs and is considered to be a low-maintenance plant. This is because this shrub doesn’t need to be watered a lot, and generally prefers to stay dry. It also likes to get its six hours of sun per day, making it a great choice if you live in a dry climate.

The blue sun juniper has beautiful blue-silver foliage that likes to spread across its branches

how to grow blue star juniper hero

#Beauty Bush

This gorgeous shrub is perennial, which means that you only plant it once but get to enjoy its beauty for years to come. The shrub can grow up to ten feet tall and wide, making it quite the big plant. This means you will need to plant it in a spot that allows for its growth and expansion. The beauty bush produces breathtaking bell-shaped pink flowers in spring for which it is named the way it is. This shrub needs full-sun exposure, so it doesn’t mind sun bathing all day. And once it has established this plant has no problem withstanding longer periods of drought.

The shrub can grow up to ten feet tall and ten feet wide, making it quite the big plant

beauty bush pink flowers

#Blue Mist Shrub

This shrub is a great choice for a lot of different climates, dryer ones included. It has stunning blue flowers with an exquisite sweet aroma and a sage green foliage. This makes it especially attractive to pollinators like bees. The blue mist shrub benefits from a trim in late spring, as it helps it to produce more flowers. This shrub is drought resistant, but it does like regular watering to look it bests. It has no problem with sitting in the sun as it prefers full-sun to partial sun conditions.

This shrub is a great choice for a lot of different climates, dryer ones included

blue mist shrub purple blue flowers

#Butterfly Bush

The butterfly bush is beloved by gardeners and butterflies alike. This bush is super easy to grow and is very low-maintenance. It comes in a variety of beautiful colors, including purple, white, and pink. Thanks to its beautiful flowers and breathtaking aroma it attracts a variety of pollinators, so you can expect friendly guests visiting your garden. This shrub loves basking in the sun and it will produce a lot of flowers if it gets it’s full six hours of sun. It is moderately drought tolerant, as it does benefit from the regular watering, but it won’t die if you miss some.

This bush is loved by butterflies and comes in a variety of beautiful colors, including purple, white, and pink 

butterfly bush with butterfly

#Cotinus

Also known as smoke bush, this wonderful shrub has striking purple foliage during the fall and soft clouds of small pink flowers during the summer. While it can also be considered as a small tree, it is most often grown as a cut back shrub. It has no problem being pruned and kept in whatever size you see fit. The cotinus can grow up to fifteen feet tall and fifteen feet wide, making it a great choice for a border plant. This plant prefers either full-sun or partial shade conditions and is moderately drought tolerant.

Also known as smoke bush, this wonderful shrub has striking purple foliage during the fall

drought tolerant shrubs cotinus big red bush with red flowers

#Virginia Sweetspire

This shrub has no problem handling some drought once it has matured and become established. The Virginia sweetspire is named for it’s “spire” of incredible white flowers that bloom during spring. However, it’s deep fiery red foliage during the fall is even more beautiful and makes a beautiful contrast color in your garden. This shrub is a good alternative to the burning bush, which is considered invasive. The Virginia sweetspire is an adaptable shrub, but does prefer to get plenty of sun and does like a regular watering. But even if you forget it will bounce back when watered.

This shrub has no problem handling some drought once it has matured and become established

drought tolerant shrubs virginia sweetspire bush

These were some of our top picks for drought tolerant shrubs that are perfect for dryer, warm climates. We hope you found this article useful. Now you have plenty of inspiration and can choose the best shrub for you and your property.

These were some of our top picks for drought tolerant shrubs that are perfect for dryer, warm climates

butterfly on purple flower of butterfly bush

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John Griffith

John Griffith is a young, passionate journalist. Writing has been John’s hobby ever since he was a boy. He has worked in some of the UK’s most successful news portals over the course of his professional career but found his forever home at Archzine.