drought-tolerant plants?

[Sandy Loam]

Can you recommend a fast-growing, dense screening hedge shrub for USDA zone 9b (possibly 10a) that will do fine without irrigation in central Florida, USA?  We have a rainy season all summer long, but there are other times when we might go for 3 weeks without a drop of rain.   In addition, my soil is very sandy and does not hold moisture. 

 

Is Sweet Viburnum a candidate for these dry conditions or does it will it not really survive in sandy soil without irrigation? 

 

Ficus Nitida would likely work (and I believe that my location is cold-hardy enough to avoid any defoliation), but I keep hearing about its whitefly infestations and its aggressive root systems.  Avoid. 

 

Clusia Guttifera is another option that I am considering.  Perhaps it will handle dry conditions better.   Maybe this will be the one!            

 

Do you have any other suggestions?

 

UNRELATED:  Not that it would work as a screening edge, but does variegated ginger do well in sandy soils without irrigation?  Do you have any other plant suggestions in general for dry, sandy soils without irrigation, not including cacti, succulents and blue plumbago?   My giant birds of paradise and Guatemalan yucca seem to be doing fine, but there must be a longer list of drought-tolerant plants suitable for sandy soils in Florida zones 9b and 10a.   Thank you in advance for any suggestions that you might have.  

      

 

[Tom in Tucson]

Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa), was the 1st thing that came to mind.

Hi 86°, Lo 58°

[Sandy Loam]

  On 11/16/2023 at 3:43 AM, Tom in Tucson said:

Natal Plum (Carissa macrocarpa), was the 1st thing that came to mind.

Hi 86°, Lo 58°

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Thanks Tom.  I just googled that shrub.  It looks dense, but it doesn't seem to grow tall for screening purposes, does it?

[Tom in Tucson]

  On 11/16/2023 at 3:59 AM, Sandy Loam said:

Thanks Tom.  I just googled that shrub.  It looks dense, but it doesn't seem to grow tall for screening purposes, does it?

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Check out this site from the University of Florida

https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/FP107

Hi 86°, Lo 58°

[Looking Glass]

i looked for this like crazy when I first got the house.  It comes in the old-school big variety, which was once pretty popular, but now the dwarf cultivars like “emerald carpet” are all you see out in the nurseries.  I think it was more popular in full size with the big fruits, in the mid to late 1900s around here.   You still see it around as a big foundation bush or road median planting occasionally, but these seem to be relics of a bygone era.  

https://www.south-florida-plant-guide.com/carissa.html

The dwarf cultivars are popular and easy to find.  

Edited November 16, 2023 by Looking Glass