If you’re looking for a plant that grows well in the heat of Texas, you may be interested in the following selections: Bottlebrush, Yaupon Holly, Weigalas, Fringe Flower, and Sumac. All of these plants have excellent heat tolerance, and you can choose from these for your landscape. Below is a list of additional heat tolerant shrubs. Read on for more information!
Sumac
Sumac is a popular landscape plant that can tolerate hot and dry conditions. It is native to Texas and can tolerate drought, heat, and other stressful conditions. Its leaves are glossy and cleft. It also bears red berries and grows up to 30 feet in height. Sumac is native to Central Texas and is a hardy shrub that is drought-resistant and heat-tolerant. This shrub is commonly grown in containers and in landscape beds.
Sumac is a deciduous shrub or small tree that grows best in well-drained soil. It has fragrant flowers and a moderate water requirement. It can survive drought and is pest-resistant. Its multiple trunks allow it to grow rapidly and is drought-tolerant. Sumac is a heat tolerant shrub for Texas that can bloom in the summer. It requires moderate water but is relatively pest-free.
In the fall, sumac shrubs are a great choice for landscaping. In the spring, the spiky, fuzzy berries are edible. You can soak them in water to make a lemonade-like beverage. Sumac has high vitamin C content and is a natural insect and disease repellent. Its foliage makes a thick, dense hedge and can serve as a background plant or screen.
The evergreen sumac is native to the rocky soils of north central Texas. It can grow to six feet tall and requires little care. The leaves are aromatic, and the stems can be pruned to make particular shapes. Sumac can be planted in full sun, but does not require much water during the winter. Its berries are edible and have a distinct smell. If you are growing this shrub in a sunny location, it can substitute for Italian cypress in deeper soil.
Yaupon Holly
The yaupon holly is an evergreen native to Texas. It grows on almost any soil type and in any amount of sunlight or shade. The shrub is drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant and will survive periods of poor drainage. It is usually male, although it may produce a female plant, which is a good thing for a landscape. The plants’ foliage is glossy and oblong, and is half to two-inches long.
You can plant a Yaupon holly in a shallow hole. It will require some caged care, especially when it is small. The Yaupon holly will grow in full sun or part shade and will tolerate the shade of a tall tree. It is moderately drought-tolerant and cold-hardy, and can survive on as little as 24 inches of rainfall.
It will do well in USDA hardiness zones seven and nine. It will tolerate a variety of soil conditions, including drought and salt. It is a native shrub native to the Southwest and does well in gardens, yards, and other landscapes. Yaupon hollies can grow up to 25 feet tall, so it is a great choice for a low-maintenance landscape.
The native Yaupon holly is suitable for areas where summer temperatures can be high. Its berries are tart and edible and are harvested in the winter. Yaupon holly is deer-resistant, drought-resistant, and heat-tolerant, making it an excellent choice for many landscape designs. Once established, this shrub is low maintenance and deer-resistant. In fact, you can grow it on your own in Texas!
Weigalas
Weigalas are excellent choice for a dry or semi-arid climate. They are drought-tolerant and don’t require a lot of maintenance. They usually don’t require any water until it gets extremely hot, then they need only enough to keep the soil moist. However, dwarf weigelas may need some pruning after flowering to encourage more blooming. Once planted in the ground, dwarf weigalas can be positioned in a container.
Dwarf weigalas can be planted anywhere from spring through fall and can thrive in full or partial sunlight. Although they prefer moist, compost-rich soil and a drier location, they can tolerate most garden soils and can be planted throughout the year. Weigalas can be pruned in winter, to reduce summer blooming, and during summer to prevent winter dieback.
Weigalas are also good choices for hot gardens. They can grow to several feet tall and will tolerate a variety of soil conditions. The Wine & Roses Weigela will grow to about 6 feet tall and features dark purple leaves throughout the summer. The rosy-pink flowers on this heat tolerant shrub will bloom intermittently through the fall, allowing for a late summer display.
The weigela is a hardy, low-maintenance shrub native to China, Japan, Korea, and China. Despite its low-maintenance nature, it is highly desirable for its tubular blooms, which attract hummingbirds and bees. Traditionally, Weigalas were disliked due to their coarse, rangy foliage, but new varieties have made them an attractive addition to Northwest gardens.
Fringe Flower
This evergreen shrub is native to China, where it is known as fringe flower. Its lush weeping character makes it easy to grow and its colorful foliage is easy to care for. It also tolerates a wide range of soil conditions and adds a colorful pop to foundation plants. Fringe flowers also grow well in a container and look lovely when planted in hanging baskets.
Chinese fringe flowers require little supplemental fertilizer once established, but once established, they may benefit from an annual application of fertilizer in early spring. Use a slow-release all-purpose fertilizer or a specialized shrub fertilizer. Fringe flowers require little supplemental water, so they can grow as long as they are given consistent moisture. Chinese fringe flowers grow best in USDA zones 7 to 10. They are cold-hardy in cold winter climates, but they need protection from the wind during the winter.
The blooms of this plant are not long-lived and are prone to mildew. In partial shade, they can develop a white powdery coating on their leaves. However, they thrive in full sun and are deer and rabbit resistant. This shrub should be pruned after the first freeze to prevent mildew. In late winter, cut back the branches by a third.
The temperature in Texas can be brutal and many ornamental plants will fail. Choose the right flowers and plants and you can keep your yard looking lovely throughout the year. Yellow and red columbines, for example, do well in this region. They like moist soil and will tolerate part-shade or full sun. They attract hummingbirds and their foliage trims in late May.
Upright or trailing Rosemary
Upright or trailing rosemary are both equally beautiful and adaptable to their new home. Upright rosemary is a woody, multi-stemmed perennial that grows best in full sun. This herb has a bittersweet, lemony, slightly piney flavor. The flowers are small and blue and can be eaten. The rosemary plant has been used for medicinal purposes since 500 B.C. It is an antioxidant, antiseptic, diuretic, and antispasmodic.
Tuscan Blue Rosemary grows six feet tall and spreads 4 – 5 feet wide. Its broad leaves are fragrant and smell of camphor. This herb is ideal for making potpourri. Its stems are also very flexible and respond well to clipping. Its foliage is relatively fine and looks great in decorative pots, cottage gardens, or baskets. For additional fragrance, rosemary plants can be trimmed for topiary.
If you want to grow rosemary in your yard, upright or trailing varieties are suitable for growing in a container. Their upright habit of growth makes them good for container combinations, but they look best as the ‘thriller’ plant in a group. Plant it near the center of the pot, surrounded by smaller plants. If you want a low-maintenance container plant, you can grow the Upright Rosemary on its own, although it may not look as beautiful as you had hoped.
Upright or trailing rosemary is an excellent choice for landscapes in areas with hot climates. Both varieties are highly adaptable, but if you want the height and shape of your hedge to match the rest of your garden, you may prefer the trailing variety. Both varieties make excellent border hedges. For smaller landscapes, consider growing semi-upright rosemary. The latter is a great choice for a container garden and is also a good choice for a herb garden.
