Growing Shrubs That are Heat Tolerant
Below you will find a list of Evergreens and Shrubs from our plant database that have heat tolerance. If you click on any of the photos, you will see a Virtual Plant Tag that may contain photos, plant descriptions, usage suggestions and a link to where you can buy that plant for your landscaping. The concept of a shrub can be difficult to define since different people might consider the same plant a groundcover, broadleaf evergreen, bush or tree.
Uses for these bushes vary by variety, and may thrive in full shade, partial shade or full sun and a variety of soil conditions including wet soil, moist soil, or dry soil.
With increased awareness of the value that native shrubs add to the natural landscape, these suggestions will help you make good choices about which plants are best suited for your home garden: Chapman's Rhododendron blooms through October and tolerates summer heat since it is a Florida native; Creeping Junipers (J. horizontalis) with the many fine cultivars, including the well-known Blue Rug Juniper, is a great shrub or groundcover to hot, dry, sunny locations including container growing but is equally tolerant of swampy locations; Leatherwood or Swamp Cyrilla (C. racemiflora) tolerates a wide range of conditions; Mescal Bean or Texas Mountain Laurel (Sophora secundiflora) for the south.
Europe and Asia have given American gardeners numerous ornamental plants that tolerate or thrive in the warmer environmental conditions in the United States. Suggestions include: Adelfa, in Spanish, or Oleanders or Rose-bay in English (Nerium oleander) are native to the Mediterranean region and are well adapted for growing in containers, where salt spray can occur along coasts and where reflected light can be a problem for other plants; Beach Vitex or Chastetree (V. rotundifolia) can be a good beach plant with excellent salt tolerance too; Boxwood (Buxus) species and the many new hybrids offer improved winter leaf color; Butcher's Broom (Ruscus aculeatus) can survive in deep shady corners where few plants will thrive but equally well in hot, sunny locations; Cape Jasmine or Gardenia; Chinese Fringetree (Chionanthus retusus) prospers in the heat of the south but is also extremely frost resistant; Chinese Holly (Ilex crenata); Crapemyrtles (Lagerstroemia); Cutleaf Lilacs (Syringa lacinata) are cold hardy but also best Lilac for the south and even flowers in partial shade; Indian Hawthorn (Rhaphiolspis); Laurustinus (Viburnum tinus) tolerates just about anything; Rose-of-Sharon (Hibiscus) flower all summer; Spotted Laurel (Aucuba japonica); Star Magnolia (M. stellata); Tea Camellia (C. sinensis); Thunberg Bush Clover or Lespedeza (L. thunbergii) is summer flowering.
