No plant will survive without water. And rhododendrons and azaleas are not in any way drought tolerant.

There are some helpful ways to at least reduce water in cellars, but expecting plants to do it is wishful thinking.

Maybe drought tolerant is not the right word. I meant with no extra watering. Like hostas, nandinas, juniper bushes, etc. I wanted a prettier option than those.

Rhododendrons and azaleas have shallow roots and need moisture but good drainage. It sounds like a poor match. Also, soil near a foundation tends to get alkaline from the lime in the concrete. Rhododendrons and azaleas need acidic soil. Also rhododendrons and azaleas each bloom only about 2 to 4 weeks each spring. You can plant to get 3 months of bloom, but not from one plant.

Here are some drought tolerant flowering shrubs.

Glossy abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) is a drought tolerant, semi-evergreen shrub that has a moderate growth rate and spreading habit that is dense and rounded, according to the North Carolina State University. It grows 3 to 6 feet tall and wide and produces white, funnel-shaped flowers that bloom along the arching branches. These blooms emerge in early summer when temperatures are often high, and the ability to withstand drought is ideal. As they grow, the slightly fragrant blooms develop a purple and pink tinge to create a striking display. Abelia bears glossy, dark green leaves that cast a bronze-green to red tinge in winter. The shrub tolerates clay, dry and damp soils; grows best in full sun to part shade and well-drained soil; and responds well to severe pruning. Grow glossy abelia in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 6 to 9.

Caryopteris x clandonensis 'Longwood Blue' is a drought tolerant deciduous shrub with a low, mounding habit and moderate growth rate, according to the Missouri Botanical Garden. It grows 3 to 6 feet tall and wide and has a spreading growth habit. It produces flowers that resemble clouds of blue smoke, hence it's common name, blue mist. The fragrant, violet to blue flowers appear in clusters or cymes from late summer into fall. Blue mist is not only drought tolerant, but also heat tolerant, ideal when the late summer temperatures creep up and moisture is limited. The silver and gray, ovate to lance-shaped foliage on blue mist is aromatic. It grows best in full sun and well-drained, loamy soil in zones 6 to 9. It is not tolerant of wet or poorly-drained soil.

Wintergreen barberry (Berberis julianae) is a slow-growing evergreen shrub that has a rounded, dense form that becomes more open with age. It grows 4 to 6 feet tall and 6 to 8 feet wide. It produces small, yellow flowers that are abundant in April and May. Following the wintergreen barberry flowers are the blue and black fruit that persists into fall. The dark green, 2- to 3-inch-long foliage on wintergreen barberry is serrated, and in fall, turns a stunning wine to red color. Wintergreen barberry is the hardiest evergreen barberry, according to North Carolina State University Extension. It is drought tolerant and grows best in full sun to part shade. Wintergreen barberry tolerates a wide range of soil types. Grow wintergreen barberry in zones 6 to 8

Here is a link that might be useful: Drought Tolerant Shrubs (not all bloom, some are deciduous)

Rhododendrons, or any plant for that matter, will not keep your basement dry. You have a drainage problem. Address that first, and then move on to what plants can handle the ensuing environment.
Mike

By changing the grade to make water drain away from the foundation, and then planting the area near the foundation to prevent erosion and encourage surface flow, you can in effect reduce a drainage problem. I did that on one side of my house.

>Maybe drought tolerant is not the right word. I meant with no extra watering. Like hostas, nandinas, juniper bushes, etc. I wanted a prettier option than those.

No rhododendron or azalea will work for what you want. A camellia might have a chance at doing what you want but it needs good drainage and isn't drought tolerant at all for the first year. Camellias also won't bloom well if they don't get either good rainfall or good watering while trying to make buds in the late summer and fall. You might consider reading up on camellias in general; they're wonderful plants and those of us who like rhododendrons and azaleas tend to like camellias too. Three varieties that have survived droughts here include: 'Shishigashira', 'Marie Bracey' (aka 'Spellbound'), and 'Kramer's Supreme'.

One other decorative choice might be roses. In zone 7 some are evergreen--most of the chinas and teas (*not* the same thing as hybrid teas) will be evergreen under all but the most extremely cold winters. You still have to baby roses with good regular watering while they are trying to establish themselves, but once established, if you slowly build up drought tolerance by gradually reducing the extra watering (which must be deep watering), the roses will grow their roots deeper and thus last longer in between natural rainfall, up to one month between good rainfalls. Some evergreen (in zone 7) roses you might try: 'Ducher', 'General Schablikine', 'Mrs. Dudley Cross', 'Ghislaine de Feligonde', 'Madame Plantier', 'Eutin', 'Marie Pavie', 'Marie Daley', 'Spice', 'Amazone', 'Carefree Wonder', 'Carefree Beauty', 'Cramoisi Superieur', 'Thomas Affleck'.

Best wishes,
Mary

Here is a link that might be useful: Look up roses at Help Me Find to see photos and more info