Some Like It Hot!

In order to beat the heat of summer and have a colorful yard or patio all season long, you’ll need to have plants that are tolerant of the high day and night temperatures of summer as well as being somewhat drought tolerant. All that summer heat tends to pull the water right out of the plants and soil. Whatever your reasons for wanting to find plants that do well with less water--whether you are mandated with watering restrictions or simply desire to conserve water as part of your lifestyle—Proven Winners can help.

Drought tolerance is a very complicated issue because in plants it is based on a lot of different characteristics including how the plants are grown. In this article, we define the term drought tolerant as plants that can handle reduced watering once they are established in the garden. These are plants that love the heat and can keep your garden alive with color all through the summer’s dog days and into fall. Remember that many plants do better with regular fertilizing even as you reduce the watering. Especially under dry conditions, a little fertilizer can really help keep plants looking good.

Remember: Even drought tolerant plants need frequent watering when first planted. Depending on your climate, this could be about two times a week for at least 2-3 weeks in order for plants to become established in their new location. Then reduce watering frequency slowly, giving the plants about a month to adapt as you reduce watering a bit at a time.

Heat Lovers with Extreme Drought Tolerance –

These are some of the toughest plants that tolerate or even prefer dry conditions. All are best grown in full sun.

Vermillionaire™ Cuphea	Luscious® Lantana	Boldly®  Geranium	Flambé® Chrysocephalum
Blue My Mind® Evolvulus	Lemon Coral®  Sedum	Stratosphere™ Gaura	Mojave® Portulaca
Fairy Dust® Cuphea	Decadence® Baptisia	Rock 'N Grow® Sedum	'Denim’ n Lace'  Perovskia
Prairie Winds® 'Cheyenne Sky’ Grass	Low Scape® Aronia

Heat Lovers with Good Drought Tolerance –

These plants all tolerate periodic dry spells or reduced watering frequency all season long once they are well-established in the garden.

Snow Princess® Lobularia	‘Sweet Caroline’ Ipomoea	‘Sweet Caroline Sweetheart’ Ipomoea	Goldilocks Rocks® Bidens
Karalee® Petite Pink Gaura	Rockin'®Playin' The Blues® Salvia	Sunjoy® Berberis	Señorita Cleome
Color Spires® Salvia	‘Cat’s Meow’ Nepeta	Intensia® Phlox	Superbells® Calibrachoa
Rockin’® Deep Purple Salvia	Summerific®  Hibiscus	'Midnight Masquerade'  Penstemon	'Storm Cloud'  Amsonia

Heat Lovers with Some Drought Tolerance –

These plants can take the heat and have some drought tolerance but will perform better with supplemental watering.

Graceful Grasses®  'Sky Rocket'	Supertunia® Petunia	Illusion® Ipomoea	Whirlwind® Pink Scaevola
Tuscan Heliopsis	Hippo® Hypoestes	Angelface® Angelonia	A-Peel® Thunbergia
Diamond Frost® Euphorbia	Superbena® Verbena	Sweet Romance® Lavandula	Whirlwind® Blue  Scaevola
Pugster® Buddleia

Heat Lovers that Need Water –

When water is not the issue, these plants can take the heat, but they like to be evenly moist through the season.

Toucan® Canna

Endless® Browallia

Bright Lights™ Osteospermum

ColorBlaze®  Solenostemom