Salt Tolerant Blooming Shrubs

Zones 3 to 8

• Arrowwood viburnum is a salt-tolerant shrub suitable for U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 3 to 8. It grows 6 to 12 feet tall and wide, producing clusters of creamy-white flowers in the late spring. This viburnum likes full sun or partial shade, and moist soil but tolerates wet sites, dry sites and wind. The five-stamen tamarisk produces large groupings of small, pink flowers in the midsummer. It grows 10 to 15 feet high and 8 to 12 feet wide. The tamarisk is suitable for zones 4 to 8 and needs full sun. It handles salt and dry, alkaline or infertile soil.

Zones 4 to 9

• Summersweet produces spikes of white flowers in the summer. This shrub prefers partial shade, but tolerates full sun or full shade. It likes moist soil and is an option for zones 4 to 9. It reaches a height of 4 to 5 feet and a width of 2 to 3 feet.

Zones 2 to 7

• The shrubby cinquefoil is suitable for zones 2 to 7. It grows 1 to 3 feet high and 2 to 4 feet wide. This salt-tolerant shrub produces bright-yellow flowers that last from summer until frost. It likes sun or light shade, and handles drought and poor planting sites.

Zones 5 to 7

• Bees are drawn to the pink flowers that appear on the rock cotoneaster in May and June. Expect this shrub to grow 2 to 3 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide in zones 5 to 7. It needs full sun or partial shade, and tolerates drought once established. The rose-of-sharon shrub also handles drought, along with salt and air pollution. Consumer horticulturist Erv Evans says this plant’s white, purple or red flowers appear in summer or fall and last only one day. The rose-of-sharon grows 8 to 10 feet tall and 6 to 10 feet wide. It needs sun or partial shade.

Zones 8 to 11

• Fragrant white-and-cream flowers adorn the gardenia in summer. This salt-tolerant shrub grows 5 to 6 feet tall and wide in zones 8 to 11. It needs partial shade, and the Missouri Botanical Garden classifies it as a high-maintenance plant.