Shrubs That Do Not Require a Lot of Water

Types

• Japanese barberry, ninebark, various viburnums and many types of sumacs are among the shrubs that grow despite a lack of water, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. Privets, bush clovers and lead plant are other shrubs in this category.

Uses

• Shrubs that do not need lots of water have multiple uses. For example, the Japanese barberry (Berberis thunbergii), representative of such species, works as a foundation plant next to buildings in compacted soils that are usually dry. Such a shrub also has use as a barrier plant, in shrub borders and hedges.

Features

• The ability to survive where water is at a premium does not mean a shrub lacks ornamental features. The mint shrub (Elsholtzia stauntonii) has fragrant foliage and purple flowers, while ninebark (Physocarpus opulifolius) has peeling bark and produces clusters of spring flowers. The Japanese flowering quince (Chaenomeles japonica) is a manageable size, growing to 3 feet tall; this shrub for dry sites turns out bright red-orange flowers that yield a green-yellow fruit resembling an apple.