Bushes that laugh at thirst

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Jasminum Grandiflorium (aka Spanish Jasmine, Royal Jasmine Catalan Jasmine)

Monarch butterfly on Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii)

Ixora Coccinea – for edging and hedging

Shrubs For Dry Conditions

Weather seems less predictable every day and with Global Warming, its impossible for anyone to say with certainty whether next year will bring rain or drought. So it makes sense to fill your gardens with scrubs for dry climates. However don’t forget that you will need to pick shrubs with drought to tolerance that will thrive in the conditions your garden provides, consider whether the planting sites are in the sun or shade, are exposed to or protected from wind and the soil type available.

One of the best strategies gardeners can employ to cut down on water usage is to replace thirsty bushes and hedges with drought-resistant shrubs. Don’t think that shrubs for arid conditions are limited to cacti and succulents. You can find lots of species to choose from, including drought tolerant flowering shrubs and evergreens.

The Best Drought Tolerant Shrubs vary from region to region.
The trick is to find drought resistant shrubs that grow well in your area. Select shrubs on site-by-site basis, taking soil, climate and exposure into account.

Drought –tolerant shrubs come in handy for people with busy lifestyles. When you are busy with a career or business, plant care may be your lowest concern and be put on the back burner now and then. Likewise you are a busy mother raising children, caring for elderly parents, relations etc., you may not always get around to watering as much as you’d like to. Then there is your precious vacation time for relieving stress. If you leave your landscaping unattended for a vacation, you can’t always rely on rainfall for irrigation. As a result you may come back home stress-free to find that the plants in your garden have experienced quite a bit of stress in your absence.

The exception will be the drought-tolerant shrubs and other tough plants that you grow. When you are selecting shrubs for arid conditions remember that all shrubs need irrigation while they are establishing a root system. Even the best drought tolerant evergreen shrubs- only develops the ability to use water efficiently after the initial season when the planting and establishment period is over.

Drought-Tolerant Evergreens
Many people think of drought tolerant evergreen shrubs as a Christmas tree species. However you can find both needled and broadleaf tress and shrubs. Since plants with small leaves suffer less stress than those with big leaves it is no surprise that some of the best drought –tolerant plants are needled evergreens.

Drought- Tolerant –Flowering Shrubs
You don’t have to give up bushes with blossoms to lower water use just be selective. Gardening is a wonderful hobby. Even if you don’t have time to spend in your garden you can go ahead and try planting some of the low maintenance shrubs. Plants bring a sense of warmth to any yard and are inviting to friends and neighbors that is unless they are all dried up and dead.

Next time, we will look at some plant recommendations that will help ensure a beautiful but low maintenance flower garden in your yard.