Pollution-Tolerant Shrubs

Inkberry

• Inkberry tolerates pollution and wet ground, its evergreen leaves providing year-round color. Nordic inkberry "Chamzin" (Ilex glabra "Chamzin" Nordic) is a male variety that bears no fruit but has dense, dark green foliage and is hardy in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 through 9. Inkberry "Compacta" (Ilex glabra "Compacta") is a female variety that bears jet black fall berries if pollinated by a neighboring male inkberry. Suitable for USDA zones 4 through 9, it grows 3 to 4 feet tall and 4 to 6 feet wide. Both shrubs tolerate full-sun and partial-shade sites.

Crape Myrtle

• Tolerating drought and clay soils, crape myrtle is also copes well with pollution. Crape myrtle Petite Snow (Lagerstroemia indica "Monow") bears showy white flowers from June through September and grows 3 to 5 feet tall and 2 to 4 feet wide. Crape myrtle "New Orleans" (Lagerstroemia "New Orleans") is a dwarf form, growing 9 to 12 inches tall and wide, and bearing purple summer flowers. Both shrubs grow best in full-sun sites and are hardy in USDA zones 6 through 10. Avoid wetting foliage when watering to discourage leaf diseases.

Rugosa Rose

• Rugosa rose is beautiful and vigorous. Two varieties that tolerate pollution are hybrid rugosa rose "Hansa" (Rosa "Hansa"), hardy in USDA zones 3 through 8, and "Blanc Double de Coubert" (Rosa "Blanc Double de Coubert"), which is suitable for USDA zones 4 through 9. "Hansa" prefers a full-sun site, and bears fragrant, deep purple, 3-inch blooms from May through fall. "Blanc Double de Coubert" bears intensely fragrant showy white flowers throughout summer and tolerates partial shade. Both roses also provide orange-red hips in fall.

Spiraea

• Spirea's ability to cope with most soil types makes it a versatile shrub for home gardens. Japanese spirea (Spiraea japonica) grows best on full-sun sites in USDA zones 3 through 8. Bearing clusters of tiny pink spring-through-summer flowers, it grows 5 to 7 feet tall. Its many cultivars are smaller, reaching between 2 and 4 feet tall. Fritsch's spirea (Spiraea fritschiana) also grows in most soils and tolerates light shade. Suitable for USDA zones 4 through 8, it bears clusters of white flowers May through June, and grows 2 to 3 feet tall. Both spirea species and their cultivars cope well with pollution.