Heat Seekers

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-303 -- More Projects »

When the mercury soars, savvy gardeners get their chores done during the cooler hours and seek shelter--the sort that includes air-conditioning--during the hottest part of the day. But plants can't seek shelter, and for some, hot weather can be disastrous, with or without an ample supply of water. Other plants seem to take to the sun, to thrive in conditions that would severely stress others. Gardening by the Yard host Paul James call them the heat seekers, the ones that can stand up to the sometimes brutal heat of July and August.

Figure A

Figure B

Although technically an annual, cosmos reseeds so readily that it behaves as if it were perennial (figure A). It's a snap to sow from seed in average soil, and some varieties can reach five feet in as many weeks. Cosmos has feathery foliage, although most people grow it for its daisylike flowers, which come in red, white, pink, yellow and orange and bloom from midsummer to fall. When cut, the flowers last as long as two weeks indoors.

The perennial black-eyed Susan (figure B), a member of the genus Rudbeckia, includes a number of excellent species and varieties. These beauties bloom from midsummer to fall, producing dozens of yellow to gold blossoms on three-foot plants. They look great massed in borders or informal groupings, and they make excellent cut flowers. They're easy to grow when direct-seeded in a sunny spot, or you can set out transplants in the spring or fall. They have a tendency to slowly spread, so they do best when divided every three to four years.

Figure C

Figure D

Although plants in the genus Rudbeckia are often called coneflowers, that name truly belongs only to those in the genus Echinacea (figure C). They're available in white or purple. Coneflowers should be divided periodically but otherwise require little care.

The old-fashioned favorites known as four o'clocks (figure D) are so named because they bloom during the hottest part of the day. Annuals throughout most of the country, four o'clocks grow to about three feet in height and produce flowers in shades of red, pink, yellow or white.

Some of the most dependable heat-loving flowers are those in the genus Coreopsis ( figure E). Commonly called tickseed, they too are easy to grow from seed and make outstanding container plants. Those available from nurseries are usually some shade of yellow (figure F), although you can find bicolor varieties.

Although it needs ample moisture, the hardy hibiscus loves the sun and even during the harshest heat waves produces incredible, dinner-plate-size blooms on compact shrubs (figure G).

A less spectacular relative is the rose of Sharon, which also blooms nonstop in the heat and happens to be a relative of okra.

Figure E

Figure F

Figure G

Figure H

Figure I

All sorts of salvias do well in full sun (figure H), and they're available in a wide array of colors and sizes. This is one of the most versatile annuals around, and no garden should be without one or two species.

No list of sun-loving plants would be complete without sunflowers (figure I). Easily grown from seed, these babies can grow up to 12 feet in just a few months, and their flowers can measure as much as 18 inches across. Although the bright yellow single-stem, single-flowered sunflower is the most popular, seed catalogs list dozens of varieties, including some that grow only 18 inches tall and others that produce red, orange, even pale white flowers.

Marigold, one of the most common annuals around, basks in the sun like a beach bum. The shorter French variety is often seen planted en masse or as a border plant, whereas the much taller African variety makes an excellent specimen or back-of-the-border plant.

A flowering succulent that stands out in the heat is sedum, the most popular cultivar of which is the fall-blooming and aptly named 'Autumn Joy'.

Impatiens and begonias need shade most of the day, but they too thrive in the heat, which is no doubt why they're so popular as bedding plants.

Figure J

Figure K

Among flowering vines, the fast-growing trumpet vine can take the heat like no other vine I know (figure J). You may have to keep its growth in check, but grow it anyway--not only because it's beautiful but also because it attracts bees and hummingbirds.

And if you're lucky enough to live in an area where crape myrtles thrive (Zones 7-9), make sure you plant a few (figure K). Whether grown as a tree or shrub, crape myrtle produces generous clusters of flowers in various shades at a time when few other large plants are in bloom.

Also in this Episode

Gardening by the Yard : Episode GBY-303
•	Mushrooms
•	Heat Seekers
•	Bamboozled
•	Meat Eaters

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