If you’re dealing with harsh heat from the sun and want to keep your garden looking lively and beautiful, choosing the right plants is key. Some plants are tougher than others and can handle the heat without missing a beat.
Here are 15 heat hardy flowers that can help you create a stunning garden even in the hottest weather.
1. Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
- USDA Zones: 3-9
Coneflowers are hardy perennials known for their daisy-like flowers with vibrant colors ranging from pink to purple. They have a central cone-shaped structure surrounded by petals, and their tough nature makes them well-suited for hot, sunny gardens.
2. Sunflower (Helianthus annuus)
- USDA Zones: 2-11 (generally grown as an annual)
Sunflowers are annuals famous for their large, bright yellow blooms that resemble the sun. They grow tall with broad, rough leaves and are excellent for adding a cheerful, sunny element to gardens. Sunflowers thrive in full sun and can handle extreme heat well.
3. Oleander (Nerium oleander)
- USDA Zones: 8-10
Oleanders are evergreen shrubs with leathery, lance-shaped leaves and clusters of showy flowers that come in colors like pink, red, white, and yellow. They are highly tolerant of heat and drought, making them ideal for hot climates. However, they are toxic if ingested.
4. Moss Rose (Portulaca grandiflora)
- USDA Zones: 2-11 (generally grown as an annual)
Moss Rose, also known as Portulaca, is a low-growing, spreading annual that features succulent leaves and vibrant, cup-shaped flowers in colors such as red, pink, orange, and yellow. It thrives in hot, sunny locations and is drought-tolerant.
5. Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)
- USDA Zones: 10-11
Pentas are tropical perennials that produce clusters of star-shaped flowers in shades of red, pink, lavender, and white. They are well-suited for heat and full sun, and their vibrant blooms attract butterflies, making them a popular choice for hot gardens.
6. Lantana (Lantana camara)
- USDA Zones: 8-11 (generally grown as an annual)
Lantanas are colorful, heat-tolerant shrubs known for their clusters of small, vibrant flowers in a variety of colors, including orange, pink, yellow, and red. They have aromatic leaves and are excellent for attracting butterflies. Lantanas are drought-resistant and thrive in full sun.
7. Red Yucca (Hesperaloe parviflora)
- USDA Zones: 5-11
Red Yucca is a drought-tolerant succulent that features long, narrow, spiky leaves and tall flower stalks with tubular red or coral-colored blooms. It is well-suited for hot, dry environments and adds a dramatic vertical element to gardens.
8. Holy Basil (Ocimum tenuiflorum)
- USDA Zones: 10-11 (often grown as an annual in cooler climates)
Holy Basil, also known as Tulsi, is an aromatic herb with small green or purple leaves and spikes of tiny purple flowers. It is revered in various cultures for its medicinal properties and can handle extreme heat and drought conditions, thriving in sunny locations.
9. Threadleaf Coreopsis (Coreopsis verticillata)
- USDA Zones: 3-9
Threadleaf Coreopsis is a perennial with finely dissected, needle-like leaves and bright, daisy-like yellow flowers. It is known for its tolerance to heat and drought, making it a robust choice for sunny, hot gardens.
10. Silver King Artemisia (Artemisia schmidtiana ‘Silver King’)
- USDA Zones: 4-9
Silver King Artemisia is a perennial with striking silver-gray, finely divided foliage. It is highly drought-tolerant and thrives in hot, sunny conditions. Its unique silver color adds a cool contrast to more colorful plants in the garden.
11. Salvia (Salvia spp.)
- USDA Zones: 4-10 (depending on the species)
Salvias are versatile perennials known for their spikes of tubular flowers in colors such as blue, purple, red, and pink. They are excellent for adding vertical interest to hot, sunny gardens and are very drought-tolerant.
12. Blanket Flower (Gaillardia x grandiflora)
- USDA Zones: 3-10
Blanket Flowers are hardy perennials with bright, daisy-like blooms in shades of red, yellow, and orange. They are known for their ability to thrive in full sun and withstand extreme heat and drought.
13. Petunia (Petunia spp.)
- USDA Zones: 10-11 (often grown as an annual in cooler climates)
Petunias are popular annuals with a wide range of flower colors and patterns. They are heat-tolerant and produce abundant blooms throughout the growing season. Petunias do well in sunny, hot environments and are often used in containers and hanging baskets.
14. Bird of Paradise (Strelitzia reginae)
- USDA Zones: 9-11
Bird of Paradise is a tropical perennial with striking, bird-like flowers in vibrant colors such as orange and blue. It has large, banana-like leaves and thrives in hot, sunny conditions. It adds a dramatic, exotic touch to gardens.
15. Bougainvillea (Bougainvillea spp.)
- USDA Zones: 9-11
Bougainvillea is a vigorous, flowering vine or shrub with papery bracts in bright colors of magenta, purple, orange, or red. It is extremely heat-tolerant and drought-resistant, thriving in full sun and adding color to gardens and walls.
Plant these heat-loving varieties, and watch your garden thrive despite the scorching temperatures.
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Nancy has been a plant person from an early age. That interest blossomed into a bachelor’s in biology from Elmira College and a master’s degree in horticulture and communications from the University of Kentucky. Nancy worked in plant taxonomy at the University of Florida and the L. H. Bailey Hortorium at Cornell University, and wrote and edited gardening books at Rodale Press in Emmaus, PA. Her interests are plant identification, gardening, hiking, and reading.