Drought Tolerant Shrubs That Bloom in the Summer

USDA Zones 3 and 4

• The lead plant (Amorpha canescens) will grow despite poor quality, sandy dry soil. It has a wide distribution, including being a native species in USDA zones 3 and 4. Lead plant grows to 3 feet high, with its bloom time extended through the summer into September. Its flowers are shades of blue and purple. Lead plant is an option for wildflower and prairie gardens. Saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima) not only is drought-tolerant, it survives exposure to salt. Saltcedar does well in poor, dry soils and this 10- to15-foot high shrub generates pink flowers from June into August. It works best in colder zones, since in warmer ones it spreads rapidly and becomes invasive in nature.

USDA Zones 5 and 6

• Situate the larger cultivars of the butterfly bush (Buddleja davidii) behind the smaller perennials in your butterfly gardens and watch butterflies flock to its summer flowers. Wet soil actually is a deterrent to this shrub’s growth. It does best in dry areas. USDA zones 5 and 6 are the coldest regions where it will survive, typically dying to the ground as the cold weather moves in and returning to vivacity in springtime. Bush clover (Lespedeza bicolor) is a drought-tolerant eastern Asian species that grows between 5 and 10 feet. Cut it to ground level in winter and it still reaches 5 feet high the next year. Its late summer blooms are rose-purple and produce small, flat seedpods.

USDA Zones 7 and 8

• Devil’s walking stick (Aralia spinosa) withstands drought, growing between 10 and 20 feet in zones 7 and 8. It comes armed with sharp spines, giving the shrub its name. Flowering from mid-to-late summer, devil’s walking stick is an appropriate landscaping tool for planting beneath your windows; no burglar could ever make it past those prickly spines, notes Floridata. The dense, red roots of New Jersey tea (Ceanothus americanus) penetrate deep into rocky soil to garner water during droughts. New Jersey tea grows in zones 7 and 8 to 36 inches on average, with a compact, rounded form. The aromatic white flowers are present into July.

USDA Zone 9

• Salvia “Raspberry Delight” is a form of sage that is a shrub capable of handling dry spells. Raspberry Delight grows to 3 feet in zone 9, featuring red flowers from July until late autumn. Raspberry delight attracts hummingbirds as well as colorful butterflies. Blackhaw viburnum (Viburnum prunifolium) will have flowers on it as summer begins, but they turn into edible fruits. The leaves turn gaudy shades of purple and red in fall. Tolerant of drought conditions, blackhaw viburnum grows between 12 and 15 feet tall, useful as a screen or hedge.