Look around at old, abandoned homesteads where there has been no additional water for the past 20 years, he suggests. The lilac, honeysuckle and dogwood shrubs continue to survive and do well. These adaptable shrubs can be pruned to maintain a height of 6 to 8 feet and offer fragrant, colorful blossoms each spring and summer. There are also many smaller drought-tolerant shrubs that reach a mature height of less than 6 feet, Goodspeed says. All these shrubs either have a fantastic flower or ornamental foliage, Goodspeed says.
Barberries have purple, red, pink, and green foliage that adds a nice contrast in any landscape.
The barbs can be a little intimidating or useful in the right setting. Blue mist spirea is one of the few truly blue flowering shrubs that has color from July until frost in the fall. Currants are known for their fruit but also have a great form and wonderful fall color. My favorite is probably the flowering almond. The double pink blossoms covering the plant in the spring are spectacular.