| My parents live in Shreveport, LA (zone 8). I'm looking for a drought tolerant, low growing evergreen shrub (3 ft. max) for the front bed. It has a southern exposure and gets full sun almost all day. Flowering would be a plus but not a must. Tolerates poor soil a plus but can have soil ammended if necessary. In a second bed we have the same conditions with the exception of the sunlight. There is a wooden fence on the east side. This bed gets sun from 9am until about 3 pm in the summer and then is shaded by the house. Both beds are about 3 1/2 to 4 feet deep. I had thought about the Tomlinson Natal Plum which works very well in South Texas but was not sure if it can take the cold of north Louisiana. Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated. Ellen Alison Witt |
| Ellen, I apologize for this delayed reply to your gardening question and hope it is still helpful to you. Natal plum is pretty iffy in that area. It may be worth a try if you feel the site is somewhat protected but I would not consider it an option. Other plants to consider are dwarf gardenia which would need some soil amending with peat to give it a better start, dwarf yaupon, and dwarf chinese holly (sharp points on foliage). Thanks for the question. Best wishes for a wonderful gardening year in 2007. Please stop in again soon! |
