If you’re considering adding to your xeriscaped yard, the following bushes are great drought-tolerant options. These flowering perennial shrubs are suitable for Western Colorado. They all enjoy well-drained soil and a good bit of sun.
First, Sunset Hyssop, or “Agastache Rupestris” is a great option for sunny areas. It’s a beautiful perennial that attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. With a scent similar to licorice, it’s not only pleasant to look at, but pleasant to smell too! Once established, Sunset Hyssop is a durable and drought-resistant plant.
Snowball Viburnums are an excellent option for sun or even part-shade. Their showy white blooms are gorgeous in the early summer. They attract butterflies, don’t drop fruits, and are very hardy. Give them a pruning after they’ve bloomed in the spring, and that’s it!
A beautiful butterfly bush will attract just that: Lots of beautiful butterflies! Low maintenance, these bushes, once established, barely need more than a trimming back of dead branches in the spring. Cut them back to ground level each spring and watch them grow to 5′ tall again.
Finally, the “beauty bush” or kolkwitzia amabilis, is another tall gem. It will easily grow to 6′ tall, providing plenty of privacy with its masses of pale pink flowers with yellow throats. It has a “shaggy” bark to it as well, making it even more unique. This plant requires almost nothing to thrive but sunshine and love, and an occasional rain shower.