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10 Gorgeous Heat Tolerant Flowers That Will Survive the Summer

The cardinal rules of an all-season garden: 1. Plant evergreens to keep things cheery all winter and 2. Plant loads of colorful flowers for eye candy all summer long. We checked in with our friend Kate Karam (editorial director of Monrovia) for ten happy heat-tolerant flowers that stand up like champs to scorching hot days.

The 10 Best Perennials to Plant this Spring (According to the Experts)


purple salvia plant
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1. Vibe Ignition Purple Salvia

This petite sage plant is heat-tolerant, drought-tolerant and humidity-tolerant as well. Hold your breath until late summer, when the dark purple buds explode into vibrant flowers.

yellow tickleaf plant
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2. Zagreb Threadleaf Tickseed

This prolific perennial isn’t nearly as delicate as it looks: The yellow blooms thrive on summer heat and humidity and add wonderful color to a border (or hanging basket) all season long.

pink coneflower plant
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3. PowWow Wild Berry Coneflower

If you’re looking for a pop of happy pink all season long, these rosy-purple flowers are just the ticket: They’re fade-proof, drought-tolerant and thrive well into the fall without deadheading.

blue lily of nile llant
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4. Baby Pete Lily of the Nile

How swoon-worthy are these baby-blue clusters? Since this evergreen rarely sets seed pods, you can expect a long bloom period over the hot summer months.

purple petunia plant
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5. Mexican Hardy Petunia

This herbaceous perennial works in a border, a container or pretty much wherever you please—they’re forgiving to any location and happen to love their time in the sun.

yellow yarrow plant
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6. Moonshine Yarrow

We dig this fuss-free, heat-happy floral for its cloud-like plumes of canary yellow flowers. Bonus: Fresh-cut or dried, they make the loveliest cut flower bouquet.

scarlet bottlebrush plant
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7. Scarlet Bottlebrush

This carefree evergreen holds a secret: plumes of whimsical red flowers that steal the show throughout the summer months. Once established, it stands up to poor soil, heat and drought.

purple verbena plant
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8. De La Mina Verbena

This perennial boasts miniature neon blooms that are like catnip for butterflies. Use them for a gorgeous border accent or fill a container garden for a purple focal point.

pink penstemon plant
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9. Rock Candy™ Pink Penstemon

Pretty, pink and bell-shaped, these beautiful heat-lovers stand up to bright, overhead sun without washing out. Just be sure to deadhead (aka snip off the wilted blooms) after the first flush of flowers.

black eyes susan plant
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10. Goldsturm Black-Eyed Susan

With its long bloom season and love of full sun and plenty of heat, this North American native is the real star of the high-summer sunny border.



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Home Editor

From 2014-2019 Grace Beuley Hunt held the role of Home Editor covering interior design, styling, trends and more.