It is hot, hot, HOT outside! But, don’t get beat by the heat. You can still have a huge array of summer hues to dress up your property and we’re not even talking about your most visible areas, like entryways. We’re talking about the hardest to grow areas, like beside hardscapes and in parking lot islands, during the toughest growing conditions of the year. Here is our list of the top four colorful, drought tolerant flowers we like to install now for commercial properties and landscapes. Not only do they withstand the intense heat with low water input and tremendous drought tolerance, but, most importantly, they provide endless, bold bursts of color all summer long.
1. Marigolds: Marigolds come in yellow, orange and a mosaic of both colors and have double, carnation-like flower heads that produce singly or in clusters, growing from 6 inches to 2 feet tall. These affordable, hardy flowers are as forgiving as they are pretty. They are extremely drought tolerant, and resistant to insects.
2. Lantanas: These small clumps of mini verbena-like flowers are formed in clusters and come in orange, red, yellow, white and purple, but the yellow, red and orange are the hardiest. The hotter it is, the happier these plants are and the more flowers you’ll get. They grow 1 to 6 feet tall and are drought-tolerant, low-water-use plants that are pest and disease resistant. Think of them as super tough, super colorful and super cute.
3. Salvia: Salvia are spikes of brightly colored flowers top these 10- to 12-inch tall plants, which hold their color all summer long, no matter the sun and heat. The flowers stack neatly atop light gray-green foliage. We like to use two varieties of salvia—Vista and Victoria. Vista comes in purple, white, red and salmon, while Victoria comes in white and light blue.
4. Zinnia: These velvet, fuzzy-textured flowers range in height from 6 to 36 inches and are available in many different colors—from golden yellow to pumpkin orange to crisp white to baby pink to soft rose. The best part: they grow well under hot, sunny conditions. They even attract bees, butterflies, hummingbirds and birds.
Try these hardy beauties in your toughest-to-grow locations! Plant them in a parking lot island for guaranteed color burst throughout the summer season. Or, pot them in a planter and don’t fret about watering. These flowers will keep growing strong. You guarantee consistent color throughout the summer for low cost and low inputs, simply by adding our picks for the best drought resistant flowers.