Gas stations are where plants go to die. Shrubs at gas stations are totally neglected. They are never watered and are surrounded by heat-trapping rock mulch. The air is polluted, and the soil is soaked with gas and salt. Shrubs at gas stations are never pruned—usually they die first.
Any shrub that can survive at a gas station can survive in your landscape. The next time you fill up your car’s gas tank, take a moment to see if any of the plants nearby are surviving. You likely will see one of these rugged shrubs:
The toughest shrub may be Japanese barberry (shown below). These durable plants come in a wide range of colors including purple, yellow and green. Barberry can withstand heat, drought and poor soil. Its stems have sharp spines that make it deer-proof. Some scientists classify barberry as an invasive "weed," but that is not always a bad quality. It's hardy to Zone 4.
Japanese barberry
A rugged shrub with beautiful flowers is potentilla (shown below). Its bright golden flowers adorn the shrub all summer long. Native to our area, it thrives in our harsh climate.
Potentilla
Pink-flowering spireas (shown below) are tough plants. Some spireas have green leaves while others have gold leaves. The most vigorous varieties have dark green leaves. These leaves are packed full of chlorophyll, which produces energy for plants. Keep in mind that gold-leaf spirea and other gold-leaf shrubs don’t have as much chlorophyll and are naturally weaker. Spireas are hardy to Zone 4.
Japanese spirea
If you need a hardy shrub with purple leaves, a great choice is ‘Diabolo’ ninebark. It’s tough as nails.
If fruits are important to you, consider aronia, a.k.a. chokeberry(shown below). It is pest-free, grows quickly, bears blueberry-like fruits (unfortunately they taste bitter), and has radiant red fall color.
Aronia
Everyone loves roses, but most roses require lots of maintenance. Consider the rugosa rose (shown below). These plants tolerate heat, drought, salt and wind—hey, that makes them perfect for us in North Dakota! Some varieties bloom all summer and have scarlet rose hips in winter.
Popular selections include Blanc Double de Coubert (white), Therese Bugnet (pink), Lotty’s Love (purple) and Fru Dagmar Hartopp (light pink).
Rugosa rose
If you need an evergreen, nothing is tougher than junipers (shown). These rugged shrubs are hardy, tolerate drought and will survive in saline soils.
Juniper
These “gas station plants” can survive the most brutal conditions your landscape can offer. But don’t treat your landscape like a gas station. Show a bit of love to your plants and they’ll reward you many times over.
FAQs
If you are looking for a tough, resilient plant, azalea is an ideal choice. A dense, rounded evergreen shrub that is easy to care for, azalea performs well as a hedge, in borders and as edging, in containers and as a specimen plant.
What is the easiest flowering shrub to grow? ›
Potentilla is one of the easiest flowering bushes to grow. Originating from subarctic regions, it is a very hardy shrub and has very low nutrient and water requirements. 'With little to no maintenance needed these drought tolerant shrubs produce pretty cup-shaped blooms flower from April right through until September.
What is the best shrub to plant in the front of your house? ›
Some of the fastest-growing shrubs for the front of a house are hydrangeas, barberry, weigela, holly, and Chinese fringe flowers.
What is the most indestructible plant? ›
Top 5 Indestructible Indoor Plants
- Epipremnum areum (Pothos)
- Pachira aquatica (Money Tree)
- Dracaena sanderiana (Lucky Bamboo)
- Zamia zamifolia (ZZ Plant)
- Sanseveria (Mother-in-Law's Tongue or Snake Plant)
What is the hardiest plant ever? ›
Some say the hardiest are the ones in the Arctic, and some say that this plant should withstand the driest and low-humidity environment on the planet. Hence, Purple Saxifrage and Welwitschia mirabilis could be named the hardiest plants in the world.
What bush looks good year round? ›
Some of the most common evergreen shrubs include arborvitae, boxwood, false cypress, holly, juniper, wintercreeper, azalea and rhododendron.
What are the best non invasive shrubs? ›
Many native berry-producing shrubs are better choices, including dogwoods, winterberry holly, elderberry, chokeberry, native viburnums, blueberry, bayberry, wax myrtle, Oregon grape and manzanita. Spicebush has red berries and is also unpalatable to deer, just like these two invasives.
What shrub keeps its leaves in winter? ›
In addition to Rhododendrons, some Azaleas, Holly, and Boxwood, there are many shrubs that keep their leaves year-round, blooms. These look fantastic, especially when paired with Viburnum and Winterberry Holly which may lose their leaves, but have persistent colorful berries for you to enjoy all winter!
Is there a shrub that blooms all summer? ›
Butterfly bush have one of the longest bloom times of all garden plants: they seem to never be without flowers from early summer through autumn. This makes them perhaps better called “continuous bloomers” over rebloomers, since they don't really take a break like other plants on this list do.
What is the most popular bush? ›
Top 10 Most Popular Shrub Types
- Beautiful rhododendrons.
- Lilacs.
- A Single Camellia.
- Forsythia yellow flowers in Spring full bloom.
- Rose of Sharon.
- Flowering Quince.
- Weigela.
- Abelias.
Tortuga® Juniper (Juniperus communis)
This is one of the toughest evergreens around!
What is the hardest thing to plant? ›
- 10: Cauliflower. Cauliflower, a part of the brassica family, which includes broccoli and cabbage, can be a difficult vegetable to grow. ...
- 9: Celery. ...
- 8: Sweet Corn. ...
- 7: Eggplant. ...
- 6: Head Lettuce. ...
- 5: Carrots. ...
- 4: Muskmelon. ...
- 3: Onion.
What is the most complicated plant? ›
According to respondents, the plant with the highest difficulty rating among recreational gardeners is orchids, scoring 7.14 out of a possible 10 points.