10 Flowers That Thrive in Full Sun

Pansies are the easiest way for new and experienced gardeners to bring cheer to a fall garden. So long as they have full sun, pansies will thrive in flowerbeds or containers.

These Southern natives thrive in heat and humidity. They bloom best in full sun but can tolerate a little afternoon shade. Coneflowers can be drought-tolerant, but should be watered regularly in their first season. The wildflowers attract birds, bees, and butterflies and make excellent cut flowers.

Hummingbirds and butterfilies love these attractive blooms. Cousin to the culinary sage, these plants are grown mostly for show. The blossoms get big, so keep in mind when planting that they need plenty of room to grow. Combine them with old-fashioned mums, asters, goldenrods, ornamental grasses, or roses.

A beautifully potted Lantana will give color all summer and fall. The heat-tolerant plant loves full sun, and you only need a few plants to put on a show. Floridians–beware. Lantana seedlings can be invasive, so plant selections that set little or no seed such as ‘Gold Mound’ and ‘Pinkie.’

Mums are meant for sharing, and they make it easy to do so. Heirloom mums grow in clumps and can be passed along in a pot. Mums grow between two and three feet, and are best or sharing in late fall or spring. Combine with salvias, asters, or gasses for a beautiful display.

You can’t ask for a more beautiful addition to your garden than Zinnias. The easiest annuals to start from seeds, these bright buds will bloom in containers until an autumn frost. Snip them just as they are beginning to open for a show-stopping centerpiece.

According to Jimmy Turner, the director of gardens at the Dallas Arboretum, violas “bloom longer than pansies and are more prolific,” making them a great choice for containers. Violas grow in a range of colors including, white, yellow, pink, red, orange, and even black. Turner also says that newer selections are cold weather tolerant, making them ideal to plant in the Lower, Middle, Coastal, and Tropical South in the fall.

Not only does this beauty love the sun, it also only needs to be watered about once a week.

Fanflowers will need to be watered about three times a week and does best in containers.

We know they make the most beautiful cut flowers, but while in the garden they love full sun. When cutting from the garden, do so in the early morning and choose buds that are just beginning to open.