Hello, fellow gardeners! My name is Jenny and I work at Creekside Nursery. Today I’m really excited to share what I know about evergreen shrubs that do well in full sun and don’t mind being dry. I’ve spent years growing and testing different kinds of shrubs, so I’ve put together this complete guide to help you pick the best ones for your garden.
Why Choose Drought-Tolerant Evergreen Shrubs?
Let’s be real – who doesn’t want plants that
- Stay green all year round
- Can handle those brutal summer days
- Don’t need constant watering
- Look amazing with minimal maintenance
Top Drought-Tolerant Evergreen Shrubs for Full Sun
1. Green Giant Arborvitae (Thuja)
- Height: 7-12 feet
- Best features:
- Fast-growing privacy screen
- Extremely drought resistant
- Disease resistant
- Perfect for windbreaks
- Price range: $44-64 for 3-7 gallon sizes
2. Sunshine Ligustrum
- Height: 4-6 feet
- Standout qualities:
- Bright golden-yellow foliage
- No pruning needed
- Zero flowering (great for allergy sufferers!)
- Price: $12.97 (2.5 Qt) to $25.97 (2 Gal)
3. Blue Star Juniper
- Height: Less than 4 feet
- Key features:
- Gorgeous turquoise and silver foliage
- Low-maintenance dwarf conifer
- Perfect for rock gardens
- Price: Around $21.99 for 1 gallon
4. Cherry Laurel ‘Otto Luyken’
- Height: 4-6 feet
- Highlights:
- Fragrant white flowers
- Dense evergreen foliage
- Excellent for hedging
- Cost: Approximately $28 per gallon
Care Tips for Success
Planting
-
Best planting times:
- Early spring
- Early fall
-
Site preparation:
- Dig hole 2x width of root ball- Keep depth equal to container- Mix native soil with compost
Watering Schedule
First month:
- Week 1-2: Water deeply 3x per week
- Week 3-4: Water deeply 2x per week
Established plants
- Summer: Once weekly
- Winter: Monthly or as needed
Common Problems & Solutions
| Problem | Solution |
|---|---|
| Yellow leaves | Check for overwatering |
| Sparse growth | Verify sun exposure |
| Root rot | Improve drainage |
| Winter burn | Use wind protection |
Design Tips
Here’s how I like to use these shrubs in landscaping:
-
Foundation planting
- Use varying heights
- Group in odd numbers
- Mix textures
-
Privacy screens
- Plant Green Giant Arborvitae 4-6 feet apart
- Create staggered rows for depth
- Combine with shorter shrubs in front
-
Rock gardens
- Blue Star Juniper as focal points
- Mix with ornamental grasses
- Add colorful perennials
Maintenance Calendar
Spring
- Remove dead branches
- Apply slow-release fertilizer
- Check for winter damage
Summer
- Monitor water needs
- Light pruning if needed
- Watch for pests
Fall
- Last chance for planting
- Reduce watering
- Add mulch layer
Winter
- Protect from harsh winds
- Minimal watering
- No pruning needed
Cost-Saving Tips
-
Buy smaller sizes
- 2.5 Qt plants often cost $12-15
- Will catch up to larger sizes in 2-3 years
-
Bulk purchasing
- Many nurseries offer quantity discounts
- Plan your entire landscape at once
-
Timing matters
- Shop end-of-season sales
- Check clearance sections
My Personal Experience
I have made a lot of mistakes with these plants! For example, I gave my new Sunshine Ligustrum way too much water last summer because I thought it needed it during the drought. I was wrong! These tough cookies taste better after being left alone for a while.
Final Thoughts
When picking drought-tolerant evergreen shrubs for full sun, remember:
- Consider your space and growing zone
- Think about long-term maintenance
- Don’t forget about mature sizes
- Mix and match for interest
Want to start? Creekside Nursery has all of these kinds of plants, and I’d love to help you pick the best ones for your space. Visit us between 9 AM and 3 PM, Wednesday through Saturday, or check our online store to see what’s in stock right now.
Happy gardening, y’all! And remember – sometimes the best thing you can do for these drought-tolerant champions is to just let them do their thing!
Note: Prices mentioned are approximate and may vary by location and season.
Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo)
The Strawberry tree is an evergreen known for its unique orange-red fruits. It is slow growing and can be left as a shrub or pruned to create the look of a small tree. In fact, it’s related to our northwest native, the Pacific madrone (Arbutus menziesii). In fall, clusters of white urn-shaped flowers appear, followed by spherical fruits, which birds enjoy feasting upon throughout the winter. Strawberry trees prefer full sun to partial shade. They grow slowly to 15’-30’ (about 1’-2’ per year).
Barberries are tough landscape plants whose saturated colors add intensity to the garden. These shrubs are easy to take care of and don’t attract deer. Their small thorns make them a great choice for a barrier planting. They can be left in a natural shape or pruned to a dense, formal-style hedge. Barberries thrive in full sun or partial shade and can even handle extra-hot spots.
Perfect for a troublesome, dry spot in full sun or partial shade, Wild lilacs thrive on extremely well-drained, poor soil without supplemental summer water or fertilizer. Most are quite cold-hardy as well. Varieties range in height from the 9-foot-tall ‘Victoria’ to a low-growing groundcover. Most bloom in April, May, or June and are native to the west coast of the United States and Canada. Their fuzzy blue flowers are very attractive to bees (and to humans as well)!.
These evergreen shrubs have their origins in the Mediterranean region and are well-suited to our dry summers. They prefer full sun and well-draining soil, making them ideal for rock gardens and sunny parking strips. The single flowers are composed of papery, crinkled petals and come in shades of pink, purple, and white. Plant them with other drought-tolerant plants such as rosemary, lavender, and wild lilac. Size ranges from 1’-6’ feet tall. Shorter varieties make a great mounded ground cover for hot spots.
Wilma Goldcrest Cypress (Cupressus macrocarpa ‘Wilma Goldcrest’)
This compact cultivar of Monterey cypress is a perfect fit in smaller gardens and containers. The evergreen, feathery foliage is lime green when young, maturing to a brilliant yellow, and has a lovely lemony scent. ‘Wilma Goldcrest’ stays narrow, with a pyramidal shape, and grows 7’-9’ tall and 3’-4’ wide. Prefers full sun to partial shade.
With both summer-flowering and winter-flowering varieties, daphnes are a great addition to the PNW garden. Daphne transatlantica has pale pink buds that open to white flowers and blooms sporadically from April to October. Daphne odora, or winter daphne, offers fragrant pink blooms in late winter. They enjoy rocky areas with well-draining soil. Summer-blooming varieties prefer full sun to partial shade while Daphne odora prefers partial shade.
Hebe is a genus with a huge number of species and cultivars. This makes it easy to find the right type for your garden style. Hebes grow well in dry, rocky areas and bloom in early summer with flower colors of white, red, pink, and purple. Their foliage is equally colorful, ranging from silvery green to burgundy, often with interesting variegation.
As you can see from these photos, the genus Juniperus offers a lot of variation, from tall, narrow shrubs to dense groundcovers. What junipers have in common is that they are all coniferous and evergreen with needle-like or scale-like leaves. Most prefer full sun and make wonderful, low-maintenance additions to the garden. Fun fact: juniper “berries” are actually female seed cones with the fleshy appearance of a berry!.
Lavender is fragrant, beautiful, and drought-tolerant. What’s not to love? This Mediterranean plant does well in our dry PNW summers, especially in full sun. English lavender has a compact shape and thin leaves. Hedge lavender has taller flower stalks and a stronger scent. And Spanish lavender has tiny “rabbit ears” on top of the flowers (shown above, left).
Top 5 Shrubs for the Heat
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