Heat-Tolerant Color for the Summer Garden

By Pam Albo

Summer flowers can give your garden landscape the pop of color you’re looking for – even in the heat! Annuals will die off when summer ends. Perennials go dormant during fall and winter but reappear the following spring. Perennials may return for many years due to our warmer climate in Phoenix.

Angelita Daisy

Angelita Daisies are a beautiful, reliable producer of yellow daisy-like flowers year-round. They grow to 10” high and up to 18” wide. Angelita Daisies look good in rock gardens and are very easy to care for. They seed freely. (Perennial)

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Angelonia (Summer Snapdragon)

Angelonia produces beautiful flowers of purple, pink, blue, or white, and flowers all summer long. Angelonia likes hot, sunny locations and prefers moist, well-drained soil, but is also drought tolerant. Plant March to July. (Perennial)

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Blue Salvia

Blue Salvia is a cinch to grow and flowers all summer with vibrant deep blue spikes. Hummingbirds love this plant. Excellent in containers as a background to smaller plants. Plant March to May. (Perrenial)

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Celosia

Showy, vibrant, feathery flowers in red, orange, yellow, pink or purple. Good drought tolerance but prefers regular watering. The New Look Red variety is best for full sun. (Annual)

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Coneflower (Echinacea)

Beautiful cone shaped flowers that can grow from 2-4 feet tall. Colors include purple, pink, red, orange, white, and yellow. Prefers afternoon shade. (Perennial)

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Coreopsis

Showy, bright yellow, daisy-like flowers. (Perennial)

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Cosmos

Cosmos is easy-to-grow and produces a profusion of tall, daisy-like flowers in pink, orange, red, or yellow, to white and maroon. (Annual)

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Gaillardia (Blanket Flower)

Gaillardia is known for its bright red, gold, and bronze colors, similar to southwestern Indian crafts. It is a daisy-like, bushy flower that can grow 8-12 inches tall from summer to fall.(Perennial)

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Lantana

Lantana is a staple in hot dry climates like Phoenix. This free flowering plant has cheerful, bright tropical flowers from white to orange, pink, red, purple, or multi-colored. Ground cover varieties are popular in purple or white. Easy to maintain.

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Lisianthus

Gorgeous purple or white blooms from May through November that make excellent cuttings. Lisianthus is a tall plant and may need support. After the first blooms, cut the stems back all the way to the rosette. Lisianthus is drought tolerant. It attracts hummingbirds and butterflies. Prefers afternoon shade. Plant in Spring. (Perennial)

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Marigold

Add a pop of vibrant color to your landscape with marigolds. Blooms come in yellow, orange, red, and mahogany. Easy to grow.(Annual)

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Pentas

Pentas’ distinctive five-point flowers burst open like fireworks. Great for groundcover and in containers.(Perennial)

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Portulaca (Purslane)

Portulaca produces vividly colored blooms in shades from rose, yellow, white, orange, red, purple, and pink. Great as an eye-catching statement adjacent to a rock, as ground covering, and in containers.(Perennial)

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Tangerine Crossvine

Easy-to-grow woody vine that produces stunning, tangerine-colored flowers all summer long. This vine easily attaches itself by its tendrils to most surfaces. Can quickly grow to 30 ft. long. Prefers regular watering. (Perennial)

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Vinca

Blooms in abundance from April through October in white or various shades of pink. Vinca tolerates neglect and is an excellent choice if you have little time to tend to your garden. Pinch blooms for fuller plants. (Perennial)

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Zinnia

One of the easiest plants to grow with a long blooming period. Zinnias make excellent cut flowers in colors ranging from red, orange, yellow, white, pink, and maroon. Will bloom all season when flowers are deadheaded. (Annual)