Drought-Tolerant Plants & Shrubs

Barberry

• Choose among several drought-resistant varieties of barberry, a group of shrubs that generally grow between 3 and 6 feet and, in many cases, features brilliant reddish foliage. Barberry grows best in sun or partial shade and well-drained soil with a neutral pH. Evergreen varieties include wintergreen, threespine and William Penn barberry; deciduous varieties include Korean barberry, Japanese barberry and red barberry. Most barberry bushes have small, oval leaves and thorny stems that make them quite deer-resistant. They bloom in spring with fragrant yellow flowers.

Beautyberry

• Beautyberry is a bushy, rounded shrub that grows to 6 or 8 feet tall in sun or partial shade. Options are four drought-tolerant varieties -- American, Bodanier, purple and Japanese Beautyberry -- which are most often grown in the southern United States. Observers easily can identify the bust by its purple to violet berries, which grow in dense clusters around the stem, and its 6- to 8-inch toothy green to yellow-green leaves. The plant is highly adaptable and will grow in low-fertility soils. It requires well-grained soil, however, and tolerates too little water better than too much.

Boston Ivy

• Boston ivy, also known as Japanese creeper, is a fast-growing perennial vine that can climb to heights of 60 feet on tree trunks, buildings or other solid structures. It grows best in fertile, evenly moist soil but will withstand lack or excess of water. Boston ivy grows best in partial shade. Numerous cultivars are available, including Fenway Park, with its yellow-green leaves; Green Spring, whose young leaves have a red tinge every year; and Purpurea,which produces purple-tinged red leaves. The leaves on many varieties turn burgundy in fall but stay on the vine through winter.