Skip the usual suspects—there’s a whole world of drought-tolerant flowers that bring beauty, structure, and color to your summer garden without constant watering.
These 12 bold bloomers may not be household names, but they thrive in the toughest summer heat and deserve a spot in your low-maintenance garden lineup.
Gomphrena ‘Fireworks’
This dramatic variety of globe amaranth features hot pink bursts tipped with yellow. It thrives in heat, poor soil, and full sun without missing a beat.
Gaura (Gaura lindheimeri)
With its butterfly-like blooms that dance on wispy stems, gaura adds movement and grace to dry borders. It blooms for months with minimal water.
Cuphea (Cigar Plant)
Tubular orange or red blooms on this quirky plant attract hummingbirds and thrive in full sun. It’s perfect for containers or hot garden edges.
Angelita Daisy (Tetraneuris acaulis)
This tough-as-nails native daisy has bright yellow blooms that persist in extreme heat and poor soil. Ideal for rock gardens or xeriscapes.
Penstemon ‘Red Rocks’
Tall spikes of magenta-pink flowers rise above tidy mounds of foliage. This perennial is a hummingbird magnet that tolerates dry conditions well.
Lantana ‘New Gold’
A compact, sun-loving variety with golden-yellow blooms that seem to glow in the heat. It requires little water and reblooms all summer.
Melampodium
This fast-growing annual produces bright yellow daisy-like blooms non-stop. It handles intense heat and dry soil with cheerful ease.
Bat-Faced Cuphea (Cuphea llavea)
With blooms that resemble tiny bat faces, this unique flower handles drought and heat while adding a whimsical pop of color.
Bulbine (Bulbine frutescens)
Succulent-like and incredibly tough, bulbine sends up tall stems with starry yellow or orange flowers. It's ideal for hot, dry climates.
Gazanias
These tough ground-cover flowers close at night and shine in bright sun. Their striking patterns and colors thrive with almost no water.
Chocolate Flower (Berlandiera lyrata)
This native wildflower not only tolerates drought—it smells like chocolate in the morning sun! Yellow daisy-like blooms appear all summer long.
African Foxglove (Ceratotheca triloba)
A rare beauty with soft, foxglove-shaped lavender blooms. This tough annual from southern Africa handles heat and dry soil like a pro.
These lesser-known flowers are just as hardy—and twice as interesting—as the usual drought-tolerant picks. Plant them to turn heads and save water this summer. Want a garden that survives the heat and still steals the show? These bloomers have you covered.
Comments
No Comments