# Shrubs for Dubai gardens

Canonical: https://plantguide.ae/plants/category/shrub · Updated: 2026-10-05
Source: Ghaf Gardens (https://plantguide.ae/plants/category/shrub)

Shrubs give a Dubai garden its structure: flowering borders, hedges, screens and privacy planting that stay green through the summer. Salt tolerance and water use vary widely between them, so match the shrub to your irrigation water and soil before choosing by flower colour. Each one below is rated for heat, salt, drought, shade and ease of care.

## Shrubs (17)

- **Ixora** (ixora) — Ixora coccinea · إكسورا · shrub, exotic · sun to part shade, moderate water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 2 shade 2 ease 2 · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/ixora.md)
- **Hibiscus** (hibiscus) — Hibiscus rosa-sinensis · خطمي صيني · shrub, exotic · full sun, high water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 2 shade 2 ease 3 · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/hibiscus.md)
- **Oleander** (oleander) — Nerium oleander · دفلى · shrub, adapted · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 4 drought 5 shade 1 ease 5 (advisory: caution) · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/oleander.md)
- **Yellow Bells** (yellow-bells) — Tecoma stans · تيكوما صفراء · shrub, exotic · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 4 shade 1 ease 4 · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/yellow-bells.md)
- **Lantana** (lantana) — Lantana camara · shrub, exotic · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 4 drought 5 shade 2 ease 5 · plant/sow Feb–Mar, Oct–Nov · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/lantana.md)
- **Arak** (arak) — Salvadora persica · أراك · shrub, native · full sun, very low water · heat 5 salt 5 drought 5 shade 1 ease 5 · plant/sow Oct–Feb · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/arak.md)
- **Texas Sage** (texas-sage) — Leucophyllum frutescens · shrub, exotic · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 3 drought 5 shade 1 ease 4 · plant/sow Feb–Mar, Oct–Nov · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/texas-sage.md)
- **Hopbush** (hopbush) — Dodonaea viscosa · مشراس · shrub, native · full sun, low water · heat 5 salt 4 drought 5 shade 1 ease 5 · plant/sow Oct–Feb · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/hopbush.md)
- **Sea Jasmine** (sea-jasmine) — Clerodendrum inerme · ياسمين بري · shrub, adapted · full sun, low water · heat 4 salt 5 drought 4 shade 2 ease 5 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/sea-jasmine.md)
- **Elephant ear** (elephant-ear) — Alocasia macrorrhizos · shrub, exotic · part shade, high water · heat 2 salt 1 drought 1 shade 5 ease 2 · plant/sow Mar–Apr, Sep–Oct · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/elephant-ear.md)
- **Ficus Nitida** (ficus-nitida) — Ficus microcarpa 'Nitida' · تين الغار · shrub, exotic · sun to part shade, moderate water · heat 4 salt 3 drought 3 shade 3 ease 3 · plant/sow Oct–Mar (advisory: caution) · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/ficus-nitida.md)
- **Duranta** (duranta) — Duranta erecta · shrub, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 3 shade 3 ease 4 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/duranta.md)
- **Jatropha** (jatropha) — Jatropha integerrima · shrub, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 5 salt 2 drought 3 shade 2 ease 4 · plant/sow Oct–Mar (advisory: caution) · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/jatropha.md)
- **Plumbago** (plumbago) — Plumbago auriculata · shrub, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 3 shade 2 ease 4 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/plumbago.md)
- **Ruellia** (ruellia) — Ruellia simplex · shrub, exotic · sun to part shade, moderate water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 3 shade 3 ease 4 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/ruellia.md)
- **Natal Plum** (natal-plum) — Carissa macrocarpa · shrub, exotic · full sun, low water · heat 4 salt 4 drought 4 shade 2 ease 4 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/natal-plum.md)
- **Acalypha** (acalypha) — Acalypha wilkesiana · shrub, exotic · full sun, moderate water · heat 4 salt 2 drought 2 shade 3 ease 3 · plant/sow Oct–Mar · [page](https://plantguide.ae/plants/acalypha.md)