Asters are summer blooming perennials with flowers in a variety of colors including pink, purple, red and white. Some plants can easily handle being in Florida’s sun all the time. This will help you make wiser decisions on the types of plants to include in the pots. Once you’ve planted your tall and mid-sized flowers or herbs, add trailing plants like bacopa (Sutera species) or sweet potato vine (Ipomoea batatas) and groundcover-type plants like sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) around the edges of the container. These containers love full sun and heat, and implementing these tips will help your garden coast smoothly through the dog days—calm, cool, and collected. Deadheading old flowers will encourage re-blooming. A small pot will dry out and overheat quickly in the hot sun, and you’ll need to water very frequently to keep your plants alive. Notify me via e-mail if anyone answers my comment. And they are very inexpensive. Your email address will not be published. Thanks for an interesting site. When you grow plants in full sun, the main threats you’ll need to protect plants from are the drying out and heating of soil and the burning of leaves. Buy geranium plants online >> 6. I love most kinds of roses, however there is only one variety I have grown that I would put in the low maintenance category (and that’s the one that makes my full sun perennials list). They add a textural contrast to flowers or groundcovers planted at their base. Other perennials for the sun that are tall—and therefore well-suited for display along a fence line or in the back row of a layered flower border—are hollyhocks (although they are only short-lived perennials, at best) and Italian bugloss (another short-lived plant). One way to help plants conserve water is to make a mixed container garden in a planter. Zones: 5 – 11 (depending on variety)Bloom Time: SummerHeight: 18″ to 36″Spread: 18″ to 24″. First on my list of full sun perennials is Creeping Phlox or Moss Phlox (Phlox subulata). Lavender forms dense clumps of blue-green foliage. True to its name, cats do love to roll in it…so the plant may get squished if your neighborhood kitty stops by (it doesn’t seem to hurt the plant). Some of the newer varieties also re-bloom. Keep in mind that plants in windy locations or those exposed to the hotter afternoon sun will need to be watered more often than those placed in more sheltered, shadier locations. Ornamental grasses are another option for many areas. Also known as blanket flower, gaillardia is a heat resistant and drought tolerant plant belongs to the sunflower family. That’s it! Zones: 3 – 9Bloom Time: SummerHeight: 2′ to 4′Spread: 2′ to 3′. I’m happy to hear you find it helpful 🙂. Sun-loving perennials thrive when planted in the full, hot sun. Hi Mary…That’s a tough one 🙂 I’m not sure what zone you are in, but here’s a few possibilities: If you’re in zones 9 or 10, Garvinea Gerbera daisies and Pentas are long-blooming and fairly low maintenance. Also Read : How to Grow Safflower It is also easy to care for. The only other thing about pots is that I usually fertilize them more than I would plants in the ground, either with Miracle Gro fertilizer that you mix with water or Osmocote fertilizer pellets that you just sprinkle on the soil. In late summer, it develops airy pink plumes that almost seem to glow in the sun. Many of the Mediterranean herbs do well in this environment. Californian poppies are one of my favourites too, here in Western Australia. Tarragon, lavender, thyme, rosemary, and many others grow best in full sun and are well suited for containers. Speaking of spring bulbs, daffodils are the next low maintenance plants on my list of full sun perennials. You’re right…all of those flowers are great for full sun 🙂, Butterfly bush and bearded irises have performed very well for me, Thanks, Sherri! But my favorite species is this Pink Muhly grass. Asters prefer cool summer temperatures but they can also be grown in warm areas in a spot with afternoon shade. There’s a great range to choose from in terms of flowering, fragrant, architectural, fruiting and edible plants. Having lived (and gardened) in both Canada and the southern U.S., I find months don’t apply very well even in the same continent. 17. Hi Lillian…I think Coneflower (Echinacea), Salvia and Daylilies should all do well in your dry heat…but I haven’t lived in that area of the country so I don’t have any personal experience with what grows well in Phoenix. That’s my list of easy to maintain full sun perennials that will thrive even in the south. It appreciates room to spread out, and you may find it needs dividing after a couple of years. Also known as Angelonia, this annual unfurls flower spikes in shades of purple, pink, white and bicolor blends. Ornamental grasses in general do really well in full sun. I can’t wait for soring!! Very strange considering it’s a partial shade plant. 1.Marigold Flower . Perennial salvias are lovely plants that make an attractive taste to gardens and landscapes. It’s also not as big or as invasive as some of the other ornamental grasses, which makes it a great border plant. Phlox subulata ‘Emerald Blue’ Zones: 4 to 9Bloom Time: SummerHeight: 3′ to 5′ (depending on the variety)Spread: 3′ to 5′. It is drought tolerant and blooms in early to mid summer with lovely blue/purple, fragrant flower spikes. Botanical name: Hemerocallis 'Ruby Spider.'. For example, you could include a tall, grass-like plant; a short, flowering plant; and a trailing plant that cascades over the sides. In my South Carolina garden, the daffodils come up in February…in Toronto, everything is still covered in snow at that time, so I try to use seasons. Black-eyed Susan is a native perennial that prefers evenly-moist, well-drained soil, but is quite drought- and heat-tolerant once they are established. The only word of caution? They are mostly full sun plants although few types are shade tolerant. Thanks, Chas! Sunny borders are ideal for growing fruit trees, prairie-style planting and herbaceous perennials. It can take full sun, too, but you need to keep the soil moist. Heavy pruning, lack of water and fertilizer low in nitrogen encourage blooming. Just provide some water if it is dry. If you wish to share our content, please click here to see our conditions. If I dead head it, it just keeps blooming. I use them in old watering cans, planters, and old enamelware pots. Planting a mixed perennial herb garden is a great way to use a full sun container. Read more articles about Container Gardens. This tough plant thrives in thin, chalky soil and is drought tolerant once established. Salvia is another plant that loves the sun…it seems like the more the better for this plant! For non-desert plants, be sure to water containers thoroughly whenever the soil surface feels dry. Although there are many varieties of Rose of Sharon available (I have at least 5 of them in my garden! I have one of those in my garden, too, and didn’t think to include it on the list 🙂. Required fields are marked *. To minimize these problems, be sure to choose a large enough pot that is still proportional to the size of the plant inside. In fact, soil that is too rich will cause more leaves and fewer flowers. Sign up for our newsletter. Hi Donna…it sounds like you have the perfect spot for sun-loving plants. Its golden, coin-shaped leaves look good with everything. Have had difficulty growing in that area because of the full sun. Polyantha roses are an heirloom variety that grows as a thick bush or climbing plant with many 1″ flowers on every stem. They can grow 2 to 3 feet (60 to 90 cm) tall and look spectacular in large pots. Hope that helps! Consider where the primary viewing point will be from and design from that angle. When I started gardening in Canada, it never even crossed my mind that full sun gardening was an issue…until I moved somewhere that it was. This is also known as a thriller, filler, spiller. The wax begonias grew in full sun for me last year to record heights an fullness. Many plants have formed natural adaptations to cope with full sun - skinny leaves, hairy leaves, grey or red colouring, water retaining stems and trunks. I have 6 large round (about 36 inches diameter) pots I have tried (unsuccessfully) to start in 2 of the pots tiger lilies tulips and irises.