Extreme Temperature Shrubs

Deciduous Shrubs for Cold

• The netleaf willow (Salix reticulata) is hardy to USDA zone 1. This sub-shrub grows across Arctic and alpine regions of North America, Europe and Asia, where it prefers calcareous, rocky soil. Netleaf willow produces small, red catkins in midsummer, followed by seed-filled capsules. This prostrate shrub rarely grows more than a few inches tall. The sweetfern (Comptonia peregrina) is hardy to USDA zone 2, and rarely grows in zones warmer than 6. This deciduous shrub reaches heights of 2 to 4 feet with a much wider spread. Its aromatic foliage resembles fern fronds.

Evergreen Shrubs for Cold

• The common juniper (Juniperus communis) is native to the northern regions of North America, Europe and Asia. This shrub is hardy to USDA zone 2 and grows to 10 feet tall with a slightly wider spread. A slow-growing evergreen, the common juniper has blue- or gray-green, awl-shaped needles and produces dark cones. The Lapland rhododendron (Rhododendron lapponicum) is hardy to USDA zone 1. This shrub grows from 2 to 12 inches tall and forms a mat of aromatic foliage, topped by pink or purple flowers in spring. Its natural range include rocky soil found in the sub-Arctic and Arctic tundra

Deciduous Shrubs for Heat

• Whether you live in USDA zones 11 or 12 or have a planting site that receives reflected heat and light from a southern or western exposure, a driveway or other hardscape, choose shrubs that tolerate high temperatures. Deciduous shrubs for hot sites include the Hawaiian cotton (Gossypium tomentosum), a 6-foot-tall shrub with a 10-foot spread. This sun-loving shrub needs well-draining soil and tolerates drought. It's hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12 and blooms with yellow summer blossoms. Also hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12, the velvet leaf kalanchoe (Kalanchoe beharensis) grows to 5 feet tall and wide. This small Madagascar native shrub grows best in sunny, sandy sites and blooms through spring and summer with yellow-green flowers.

Evergreen Shrubs for Heat

• The variegated pittosporum (Pittosporum tobira "Variegata"), a 10-foot-tall shrub with shiny white-green leaves, is hardy in USDA zones 8 to 11. This heat-tolerant shrub grows to 12 feet tall with a 15-foot spread and prefers well-draining soil. For fragrant flowers that offer contrast to dark-green foliage, plant a white gardenia (Gardenia thunbergia). Hardy in USDA zones 10 to 12, this African native tolerates hot, dry sites and grows to 15 feet tall.