This summer has been a real test of your gardening determination and your plants tolerance of extreme heat. It looks like we are in for more hot weather in July and years to come, so consider heat tolerance when adding plants to our landscape.
Always check plant labels when shopping. They provide valuable information including light and soil requirements and mature size. Matching plants to the growing conditions and available space means greater success with less ongoing effort.
Always provide heat and drought tolerant plants with sufficient watering while they develop their robust more drought tolerant root system. Water thoroughly when the top few inches of soil are crumbly and just starting to dry. Mulch the soil surface with a layer of leaves, evergreen needles or shredded bark or wood chips. Organic mulches like these help keep the roots cool and moist, suppress weeds that compete for water and nutrients and improve the soil as they break down.
Fill voids in this year’s garden and plan on adding more summer beauties throughout this growing season and in the future. Here are just a few heat tolerant plants to consider:
ANNUALS last one growing season but fill your gardens with blooms all season long.
Zinnias (Zinnia) come in a variety of heights and quite a few colors. They attract pollinators and make great additions to garden bouquets.
Garden Cosmos (Cosmos bipinnatus) is another pollinator favorite with white, pink, lavender and now yellow flowers. The fine foliage adds welcome texture to the garden and seeds attract a variety of songbirds.
Angelonia (Angelonia) often called summer snapdragon provides spikes of airy flowers. Named a Texas superstar you know it must thrive in our summer weather.
Globe amaranths (Gomphrena) like ‘Ping Pong’ and ‘Truffula Pink’ produce lots of small colorful flowers that require no deadheading and provide lots of color throughout the season.
Celosia (Celosia), also known as cockscomb, have crested, feathery plumes or tight, wheat-like flowers. They are drought tolerant, look great in the garden and the color holds up nicely when dried and added to dried flower arrangements.
Pentas (Pentas) The star-shaped flowers inspired the name. This heat tolerant annual is a favorite of butterflies and is sure to become a favorite after growing it in containers, flowerbeds and mixed borders.
Lantana (Lantana) is an upright and trailing flowering plant… a great addition to containers and the edge of the garden. Minimal deadheading is needed to keep these annuals looking their best all summer.
Fan flowers (Scaevola) is a trailing plant that makes a nice spiller in container gardens and as a groundcover in flower beds.
Dragonwing begonias (Begonia ‘Angel Wing’) are big, bold and beautiful from summer to fall. These non-stop bloomers brighten up both full sun and shade gardens.
Sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) are always a great choice. You will find short compact varieties and giants 10 feet or more tall. You will enjoy the flowers, pollinators that visit and edible seeds, that is, if the squirrels and birds don’t eat all of them first.
PERENNIALS provide many years of beauty when given proper care.
Sedum (Sedum) may be the first to come to mind. You’ll find groundcover and upright forms some with colorful foliage and all with summer or fall flowers that attract pollinators.
Hens and Chicks (Sempervivum tectorum) are a popular succulent that thrives in hot & dry conditions. The parent plant, the hen, produces offsets, the chicks, to create an interesting groundcover.
Prairie plants like coneflower, Gayfeather (Liatris) Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) and Beebalm (Monarda) reach their peak in mid- to late- summer. Many continue to shine into fall and all provide added interest to the winter landscape.
Anise hyssop (Agastache) is a pollinator’s favorite. The leaves smell like licorice and you will find it coveted by bees, butterflies and hummingbirds for the summer months.
Butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) is a monarch favorite. The caterpillars can be found dining on this milkweed’s leaves while a variety of butterflies, bees and hummingbirds love the nectar. The orange flowers brighten the summer garden. This milkweed is much less aggressive than common milkweed.
Garden phlox (pictured). Phlox paniculata is a traditional favorite of gardeners and pollinators. New compact and mildew resistant varieties make growing this plant much easier… no matter the size of your landscape.
Coral bells’ (Heuchera sanguinea) foliage and flowers add color to sunny and shady spots in the landscape. Heuchera (coral bells) and Heucherella (foamy bells). are grown especially for their foliage– although some varieties have colorful flowers, too.
Daylilies (Hemerocallis) are another low maintenance perennial. You will find repeat blooming varieties and those that bloom in early, mid, or late summer. Use repeat bloomers or a combination of flower times to ensure you have flowers to enjoy throughout the growing season.
Ornamental and native grasses like Prairie dropseed (Sporobolus heterolepis), Switchgrass (Panicum virgatum) varieties like Shenandoah, Heavy Metal and Northwind along with Feather Reed (Calamagrostis) varieties like Karl Foerster and Overdam thrive in our summer and fall weather. They add texture and motion to the garden summer, fall and winter. Plus many are host plants for caterpillars that eventually turn into beautiful butterflies.
Shrubs provide structure to the garden year round. Many shrubs provide several seasons of beauty with attractive flowers, fruit, fall color, bark and interesting form.
Panicle hydrangeas reach their peak in mid to late summer. Small ones like ‘Bobo’ and the new intermediate sized ‘Little Lime Punch’ are perfect for any size landscape, containers and mixed borders. Taller varieties like ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ and ‘Limelight’ are perfect for screening and those larger spots in the garden.
Summer-blooming spireas add color to the landscape and many end the season with colorful foliage. Give them a light shearing as flowers fade to encourage a second even third floral display.
Potentillas perform best in full sun, well-drained soil and brighten the summer garden.
Weigelas start the season off with flowers in late spring and often bloom sporadically throughout the summer and into fall. Select the variety with the leaf and flower color as well as size you prefer. Be sure to plant them where you can enjoy their display and the hummingbirds that come to visit.
Low maintenance roses provide flowers throughout the summer with minimal care. You will find them in a variety of colors and sizes. Allow the rose hips to form in fall for added color and bird appeal in the winter garden.
Junipers are heat and drought tolerant. You will find low-growing groundcover varieties, spreading types and upright forms. There is one for just about every garden.
Watch your gardens grow and change throughout the summer. Visit botanical gardens and those of friends and family as well. See what plants and plant combinations are thriving and shining in their summer gardens. Take pictures and make notes to help you with future planting projects.
Written by Melinda Myers. Melinda is a nationally recognized gardening expert with more than 30 years of horticulture experience. She is a wealth of knowledge and we are pleased to share Melinda’s Beginners Guide with you!
