20 Plants That Beat the Summer Heat

Many species of aloe are drought resistant and can bring some sculptural interest to landscaping thanks to their big, bright green succulent leaves. They can survive on little water, but they should be watered occasionally to prolong the life of the plant.  

This tropical native, also known as Angelonia angustifolia, blooms all summer and loves the heat. The plant displays showy spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white blossoms, and hybrids offer additional color selections. They are excellent as bedding plants or in containers.

Sturdy and easy to grow, this early-summer-blooming flower brightens gardens. Cutting encourages them to rebloom late in the season. The 2- to 4-inch blooms have orange-red rays and a prominent purplish-black cone. Deer usually steer clear of these plants.

These easygoing summer bloomers feature daisy-like flowers in warm colors-yellow, orange, and red. They thrive on neglect, so put away the watering can and fertilizer. Their blooms make excellent cut flowers.

This flowering shrub, also known as Buddleja davidii, is a fast-growing plant that is resistant to drought. It produces masses of spiky blooms through the summer months, and butterflies love them.

Once established, this fragrant plant is tolerant of low-water conditions. These long-lived perennials produce pretty purple flowers alongside gray-green foliage that attracts butterflies and bees.

Purple summertime blooms are the calling cards of these beautiful trees. They are drought tolerant plantings that add color to the landscape in the height of summer heat. They grow best in full sun and can also handle coastal conditions.

These plants are known for their drought- and heat-tolerant qualities. With their many-colored blooms, they bring some vibrancy to the garden when everything else is wilting in the heat. One of the most popular is Echinacea purpurea, or purple coneflower.

These drought-tolerant and deer-resistant plants are known for their pretty flowers and mounding blue-green foliage. They're often seen along borders in sunny spots in the garden.

Lantanas laugh at heat and snicker at drought. Tiny flowers in tight clusters that resemble miniature nosegays appear nearly continuously in warm weather. Plus, a lantana garden is butterfly heaven; no flowers do a better job of attracting them.

Native to Madagascar, India, and tropical Asia, these bushy plants thrive in both humid and dry heat. Flowers bloom atop glossy leaves in pure white, pink, rose, or white with a rose or red eye The flower was formerly known botanically as Vinca rosea, and many people still call it vinca.

Editors picks: Try Nirvana and Cora Madagascar periwinkles.

Tall, densely packed flowers appear on this plant, which is native to southern New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, in late spring.  Blooms vary from deep violet to white, and cuplike calyxes are covered with white hairs that often have a blue or violet tinge. Like other members of the sage family, mealycup sage is generally pest free.

This fleshy plant is known for brilliant flowers in a variety of colors. Generally, blossoms open fully in bright light and close by mid-afternoon in hot weather. Portulaca thrives in high temperatures and intense sunlight and is not fussy about soil.

Editors pick: Try Rio portulacas.

Versatile sedums, also known as stonecrop, can grow with little water, but they will produce the healthiest showing of flowers and foliage with weekly water during their blooming seasons.

Hardy spurge, also known as Euphorbia, produces bright, eye-catching flowers and can thrive in even the hottest and driest conditions.

Southern natives, these easy-to-grow members of the sunflower family yield a profusion of yellow blooms. Their seeds attract birds but not deer.

This summer bloomer can go without water for extended periods of time and looks great in beds, containers, and borders. It produces small, spiky flowers and thrives in full sun.

The numerous selections of this flower are some of the garden's most colorful, useful, and easy-to-grow plants. They bloom in late spring, thrive in heat, and tolerate drought.

These plants are drought tolerant because they store water in their trunks. They produce big rosettes of sword-shaped leaves, and some species have big white flowers.

Zinnias are longtime garden favorites for colorful, round flowers. The flexible hot-weather plants don't gain from being planted early and stand still until weather warms up.