{"id":16575,"date":"2020-08-18T17:55:19","date_gmt":"2020-08-18T21:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.crescentgarden.com\/?p=16575"},"modified":"2023-05-25T17:31:43","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T21:31:43","slug":"top-plants-to-grow-in-the-summer-heat","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.crescentgarden.com\/blog\/top-plants-to-grow-in-the-summer-heat\/","title":{"rendered":"Top Plants to Grow in the Summer Heat"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cGardening is a long road, with many detours and way stations, and here we all are at one point or another. It’s not a question of superior or inferior taste, merely a question of which detour we are on at the moment. Getting there (as they say) is not important; the wandering about\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

in the wilderness or in the olive groves or in the bayous is the whole point.\u201d\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

– Henry Mitchell – Gardening Is a Long Road, 1998.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I love to read Henry Mitchell, how he reminds me that the products of my\u00a0<\/span>summer<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>garden<\/span> are not alone what brings me satisfaction. There is mystery and intrigue along the way, elation and deep disappointment, character revealed, and hopefully character developed. Then there are the lessons learned that some\u00a0<\/span>summer\u00a0<\/span>flower<\/span>ing plants<\/span>\u00a0along the way are simply over-hyped hussies who shout at you from the nursery shelves and garden advertisements<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>but have very little to offer. Meanwhile, the hesitant, scrawny plants rescued from the bargain rack prove they are tough and resilient and remind me that I always have more to learn from my\u00a0<\/span>ever-changing<\/span>\u00a0garden beds<\/a>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Planting<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few of these resilient toughies that deserve careful consideration for those who find themselves low on time and conscious of frequent\u00a0<\/span>water<\/span>\u00a0restrictions. While some avid garden folk look piously down on annual flowers, these\u00a0<\/span>seven\u00a0<\/span>underused<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>summer annuals have proven to be stalwarts of my\u00a0<\/span>summer plants<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>If you are wondering\u00a0<\/span>what to plant in summer<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>a<\/span>nnuals\u00a0<\/span>can be<\/span>\u00a0the variety of interesting characters that gardeners can meet along our laborious horticultural road. These plants enhance the beauty of existing perennials and carry the<\/span>\u00a0flowering display<\/span>\u00a0with consistent color from spring until frost. Like a complementing harmony, the perennials only accentuate the melody of t<\/span>he<\/span>\u00a0annual\u00a0<\/span>summer flowers<\/span>\u00a0whether in<\/span>\u00a0a<\/span>\u00a0flower bed or in\u00a0<\/span>pots<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Planting<\/p>\n

When I first saw\u00a0<\/span>Cuphea\u00a0<\/span><\/i>llavea<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>(also known as Bat-faced cuphea)\u00a0<\/span>in a big box store, I turned to my co-worker and said, \u201cWe\u2019re buying every one of these.\u201d She looked at me like I\u2019d just suggested<\/span>\u00a0we buy soil from Chernobyl. The plants were tall and spindly with barely a bloom on them. Fortunately<\/span>,\u00a0<\/span>I had seen the\u00a0<\/span>Cuphea\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Flamenco series and\u00a0<\/span>Cuphea\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u2018Totally Tempted\u2019 at several trial gardens the year before and knew that they were simply an ugly duckling waiting to become a swan. Once put into the ground<\/span>\u00a0or in\u00a0<\/span>containers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>and given a few weeks to get established, this\u00a0<\/span>Cuphea\u00a0<\/span><\/i>will need little\u00a0<\/span>care.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>with<\/span>s<\/span>tood the harshest of conditions and never slowed down in its prolific blooming until our first freeze in October. This\u00a0<\/span>Cuphea\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is a great mid-<\/span>layer for your garden<\/span>\u00a0or pots<\/span>, though\u00a0<\/span>it provides a punch of color used all on its own<\/span>. These thrive best in the hot, blazing sun. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Purple<\/p>\n

Mention that you have a lot of <\/span>Scaevola<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>or\u00a0<\/span>Setcreasea<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>to the wrong crowd and you\u2019ll have a lot of people quickly backing away from you. What sounds like horrid diseases are <\/span>actually two<\/span>\u00a0notable components of many annual\u00a0<\/a><\/span>flower\u00a0<\/span>beds<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>containers<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Scaevola<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>aemula<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Whirlwind Blue and\u00a0<\/span>Scaevola<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>hybrid New Wonder are prolific bloomers that crave the sunlight and heat of summer. New Wonder is great for the front of borders or trailing down a slope while the Whirlwind has a bushier habit.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Scaevola\"<\/p>\n

Setcreasea<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>offers the desirable purple that works so well to offset brighter colors.\u00a0<\/span>One of the best<\/span>\u00a0design\u00a0<\/span>tip<\/span>s<\/span>\u00a0to remember is that\u00a0<\/span>p<\/span>urple plants are\u00a0<\/span>a great<\/span>\u00a0blending tone to unite a variety of colors.\u00a0<\/span>Put<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Setcreasea<\/span>\u00a0in non-irrigated beds<\/span>\u00a0or containers<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>watch<\/span>\u00a0it press on through days of heave wave. No deadheading needed, but you may want to trim it back if you didn\u2019t believe\u00a0<\/span>they were<\/span>\u00a0vigorous!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Yellow<\/p>\n

No matter what your political persuasion, you\u2019ll want to become friends with the\u00a0<\/span>Bidens<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>Bidens<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>ferulifolia<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u2018Peter\u2019s Gold Carpet\u2019 and \u2018Solaire\u2019 are two of several great\u00a0<\/span>Bidens<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>varieties that offer carefree bright golden color. With strong wiry stems and light,\u00a0<\/span>finely-cut<\/span> foliage, this flower is an excellent companion plant to your heavy-headed plants like lantana, geranium, or petunias. Little sunbursts of yellow pop out consistently from spring until frost, paying little attention to dry hot days.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Purple<\/p>\n

Angelonia angustifolia <\/span><\/i>is slowly making its way into the annuals\u2019 circle of superstars. Different series such as the\u00a0<\/span>Angelmist<\/span>, Carita, and <\/span>Angelface<\/span>\u00a0series offer a variety of\u00a0<\/span>size<\/span>\u00a0options for placement in your garden. With a name that sounds sweet and delicate, these belie the connotations of being fragile.\u00a0<\/span>Angelonia\u00a0<\/span><\/i>is another heat and sun lover that continue upright even after those desirable afternoon downpours. Because it is self-cleaning, this flower is a great choice for the center or back of a bed that may be difficult to reach once all the surrounding flowers have filled in.\u00a0<\/span>Instead of\u00a0<\/span>planting grass in summer<\/span>\u00a0planters such as purple fountain grass, try planting a tall purple Angelonia.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"White<\/p>\n

I would be amiss to leave out <\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0favorite<\/span>\u00a0white annual,\u00a0<\/span>Euphorbia\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Diamond Frost. When I\u2019ve seen these in the stores, they usually are not making a good first impression. But planted in either the ground or a container, the more\u00a0<\/span>you\u00a0<\/span>ignored this plant, the prettier it looked.\u00a0<\/span>It also has the benefit of being an annual flower that is both an indoor plant and an outdoor plant. <\/span>Planted\u00a0<\/span>in\u00a0<\/span>masse, the effect is one of a soft fluffy cloud. This plant has a similar characteristic of the <\/span>Bidens<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>with delicate looking but strong stems that work their way through heavier companion plants. Mix this with the equally heat- and drought-tolerant\u00a0<\/span>Plectranthus<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>coleoides<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>for a cooler, soft look.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Rudbeckia<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

When you need a taller, upright annual that\u2019s a real attention-getter, go for <\/span>Rudbeckia<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u2018Indian Summer\u2019. These beauties will bloom their heads off (literally) all summer long, providing a bright golden color with minimal upkeep. This is not your grandmother\u2019s <\/span>Rudbeckia<\/span><\/i>!\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Blue<\/p>\n

As with most annual flowers, these varieties are all heavy feeders. A consistent feeding using both a slow-release fertilizer and <\/span>a\u00a0<\/span>monthly\u00a0<\/span>preparation<\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>liquid fertilizer keep these plants <\/span>vigorous throughout the summer. Products with an NPK that are formulated in 1:2:1 ratio works best for summer annuals. Caring for<\/span>\u00a0a harvest of\u00a0<\/span>summer flowers\u00a0<\/span>is\u00a0<\/span>part of our gardening journey, but it\u2019s always nice to have those plants that call for fewer detours and let us enjoy the way a little more leisurely.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cGardening is a long road, with many detours and way stations, and here we all are at one point or another. It’s not a question of superior or inferior taste, merely a question of which detour we are on at the moment. Getting there (as they say) is not important; the wandering about\u00a0\u00a0 in the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":18,"featured_media":16577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","_mi_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1751,252,254],"tags":[],"acf":{"youtube_id":"","blog_related_products":false,"author_name":"","author_description":"","author_image":false,"structure":false,"autoplay":true,"global_slides":false,"hero_background_image":false,"hero_title":"","hero_subtitle":"","hero_link":"","text_copy":"","vimeo_id":"","activate_video_schema":false,"activate_article_schema":true,"article_schema":"