Flowers that Beat the Heat

Sizzling picks for garden hot spots

Blazing sun and drought conditions have you worked up into a sweat? Cool off with this list of pretty plant alternatives that go beyond cacti and succulents. These fuss-free, heat-tolerant hot shots are tough enough to handle whatever Mother Nature dishes out...and they'll crank up the color in your garden, too!

Blanket Flower

Gaillardia species and cultivars

Perky daisy-shaped blooms sit atop stiff stems; leaves are coarse and plants bushy.

Hardiness: Zones 3 to 9.

Bloom time: Summer through fall.

Size: 1 to 3 feet high; 6 to 24 inches wide.

Flower color: Yellow or red with yellow or purple centers.

Growing advice: Full sun and average soil are just fine.

Recommendations: Try bicolor 'Goblin'; the dwarf version is 'Bijou.' Wine-red 'Burgundy' is a lovely cultivar.

Cosmos

Cosmos bipinnatus

Grown for their showy, cup-shaped blooms, they're pretty as cut flowers.

Hardiness: Annual.

Bloom time: Summer to frost.

Size: 1 to 6 feet high; 8 to 24 inches wide.

Flower color: White, purple and pink.

Growing advice: Grow in full sun to light shade. Reseeds readily.

Recommendations: 'Sea Shells' has tube-shaped petals that are intriguing.

Fan Flower

Scaevola aemula

These durable plants have a nice trailing habit, dense foliage and loads of small, fan-like flowers.

Hardiness: Annual.

Bloom time: Summer.

Size: 6 to 20 inches high; sprawling, 20 to 36 inches.

Flower color: Purple, blue or white

Growing advice: Best in well-drained soil with regular moisture.

Recommendations: 'Blue Wonder' is outstanding.

Penstemon

Penstemon species and cultivars

Boasts arching stems laden with showy tubular flowers that attract hummingbirds.

Hardiness: Zones 4 to 8.

Bloom time: Early summer to fall.

Size: UP to 3 feet high and wide.

Moss Rose

Portulaca grandiflora

Charming flowers are carried on spreading, low stems of fleshy foliage. Use in containers, rock gardens or mixed plantings.

Hardiness: Annual.

Bloom time: Summer.

Size: 4 to 8 inches high; 6 inches wide.

Flower color: Yellow, orange, red, hot pink, purple, white or apricot.

Growing advice: Hot, sunny and dry suits these beauties just fine!

Recommendations: Anything in the Sundial series is terrific; these tend to bloom earlier and stay open in low light.