Plants for Sunny Spots
If you have lots of open spaces, choose plants that need full sun. Be sure to read the plant label on the tag. Some full sun plants also will designate “drought tolerant when established.” That means to water regularly the first season, so the plant has time to get established. Most full sun plants will perform well in a part sun situation as well. The following plants are sun lovers and can stand up to high heat:
Trees and Shrubs
Crepe myrtle (Lagerstroemia spp.)Desert Willow (Chilopsis linearis ‘Monhews’)Firebush (Hamelia patens)Flame of the Woods (Ixora spp.)Powder Puff (Calliandra haematocephala) grows in zones 9b to 11, an evergreen shrub that grows to 15 feet (5 m.). Fragrant, large “puffs” of flowers in watermelon, red, or white.Tropical Hibiscus shrub (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis)
Perennials and Grasses
Autumn Sage (Salvia greggii): Autumn sage is an evergreen to semi-evergreen perennial that blooms from spring to fall in pink, orange, purple, red, or whiteCape Plumbago (Plumbago auriculata)Cigar Plant (Cuphea ‘David Verity’)Firecracker Plant (Russelia equisetiformis dwarf form) Non-stop coral, tubular flowers on cascading stems, zones 9 to 11Little Bluestem (Schizachyrium scoparium)Milkweed (Asclepias spp.)Pentas (Pentas lanceolata)Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea)
If you live in a zone north of these “hot” zones, you can still enjoy these plants as annuals.
