Summer Flowers for Full Sun Desert Conditions

Summer Color

Summer Color may initially seem like a challenge in the garden if you garden in a hot arid desert environment. Most flowers that are regarded as full sun, per the seed packet are not really full desert sun tolerant. This can lead to frustration and disappointment, especially for new gardeners who hope to have something attractive and colorful in the garden during the hottest months. This article appeared in our newsletter in August 2020, but we feel that it should be shared as so many gardeners want this information.

A mix of perennials and annuals are listed below, many annuals are self-seeding as well, resulting in volunteers the following year. Summer flowers provide food for pollinators and birds as well as provide a habitat for beneficial insects that keep pests in check. There are a few things to do to ensure there is still color in the garden in the summer months.

Succession Sow: Plant out new seeds for annuals every couple of weeks so that there are always new plants coming up to replace the ones that are done blooming.
Watering: Keep flowers well-watered so they can continue to put energy towards making more blooms.
Plant annual flowers that can handle the extreme heat and dryness.
Add native flowering shrubs and other flowering shrubs that can handle extreme heat.

Here are 10 easy Flowers to keep the summer blooms going.

Sunflowers

Sunflowers are probably the easiest to grow in our heat. Ensure the seed stays moist for germination and keep reasonable watered when young. Multi branching sunflowers are especially wonderful because the continuous blooms keep providing for the pollinators. If they are succession sown, there are always new ones to take over as the older plants are no longer blooming. Soon after blooming though, they provide food for the birds. As we get into late August, adding in the fall-colored sunflowers helps to change the atmosphere in the garden. It helps to create that feeling that fall is around the corner. See our article on sunflowers here.

Try this variety: Florist’s Sunny Bouquet

Zinnias

Zinnia’s are fantastic for the summer heat! There is a multitude of varieties and colors to choose from and even I have found some I believe I can enjoy. Try Persian carpet, Zahara Double Cherry, Mazurkia, and Zinderella Lilac. The cactus series grow quite tall and adds some height.

Try this variety: California Giants Blend

Gaura

Gaura is a less mentioned perennial that definitely should be added to any garden in very hot weather. It’s drought-tolerant to an extent (anything in our climate needs some water), and it produces delicate white blooms or pink blooms on long elegant stems from June all the way into November. There are several different varieties available to choose from and they are available as seeds or can be purchased at nurseries.

The Boyce Thompson Arboretum often has these for sale.

Cosmos

Cosmos is a workhorse of a flower. They bloom for a long time. Keep picking the spent blossoms to encourage new blooms. They are loved by pollinators, make fantastic cut flowers and will bloom all summer. They will do better if some shade is provided. Succession sow for continuous summer color. Most varieties of cosmos do take around 90-120 days to bloom, so start sowing in early March. There are so many options to choose from. The double click series, cupcake, and seashells are all very popular and gorgeous. One of my favorites is Bipinnatus Purity. Stunning white blooms that are magnificent in any space. Xanthos is an exciting miniature. It matures in 60 days, the early blooming is definitely a plus.

Love this multicolored blend: Sea Shell Blend

Vincas

Vincas are amazing! They will even grow in the extreme heat in a hanging basket! I grew them in a hanging basket one summer, hanging them on in a mesquite tree. Hanging baskets are challenging to do in desert summer. If you try, get one that has a plastic lining, or line it yourself. Use water-absorbing granules as part of the soil mix and try to position them where they get afternoon shade. There are a couple of different types of vinca. Annual vincas grow upright are available in colors that range from white to a variety of pink shades. They will easily live from March all the way into winter and can be trimmed to refresh them when they start to look scraggly. Trailing vinca makes a great ground cover and these range in color from white, blue, and purple shades. Due to the purple colors, they are also called periwinkle. There are trailing vinca minor and, vinca major. Vinca minor grows about 6 inches tall while vinca major can grow to approximately 18 inches tall. Trailing vinca is better suited for bringing color to partial shade and full shade situations(especially under large trees), which are also very dry areas.

This is a nice mix: Vinca seeds

GAILLARDIA

Gaillardia (wildflower) is also commonly known as blanket flower. They do very well in our heat and sun. During the months of July and August, plants produce smaller blooms that are a bit faded in color, but they still provide some color and they are loved by the insect life. Gaillardias are also said to be deer and rabbit resistant. The Arizona Series of gaillardias are very early flowering in spectacular rich colors.

Here are some seeds: Indian Blanket Flower

Chocolate flowers

Chocolate flowers are another wildflower that does very well in the heat and are extremely drought tolerant. They produce richly colored yellow flowers that open once in the morning and fill the air with a delicious chocolate scent. They do close up once the sun is too hot. During the morning though, there is a buzz of insect activity around them. They tend to get hollow in the middle and benefit from a good pruning in July. Chocolate flowers are perennial.

Love these from Botanical Interests: Chocolate Flower Seeds

Gazania

Gazanias have bold faces that keep the hot color of summer going. If planted before the heat so that they are established, they will bloom all summer and self sow the following year. They are low-growing plants that are perfect for borders or tucking into pots around other larger plants.

Look how stunning these are: Gazinia New Day Mix

GLOBE amarANTH

Also known as Gomphrena. This annual is a bee magnet and comes in richly colored purples, pinks, reds, and even white. It does well in full sun and can be drought tolerant in cooler climates. It does benefit from decent watering in our desert environment.

How fun are these? QIS Fiery Sunrise Blend

penstemons

The tubular flowers of the penstemon are loved by both hummingbirds and pollinators. Parry’s penstemon and Palmer’s penstemon are both popular varieties, but there are many more to try. They are quite drought tolerant once established but do like some water in desert climates. Another easy perennial choice for the desert garden.

Both of these varieties are gorgeous: Penstemon Seeds

In addition to the ten plants listed above, there are many more flowers that can be grown during the summer months. A complete list can be found in our flower planting calendar, which specifies full sun plants and provides a guide on when to start by seed and when to transplant out.