Can your flowers take the heat?

How are your annuals and container plants looking now that we have hit the oven like temperatures of July?

Lantana - "New Gold Trailing"

 For many of us, despite daily watering, our annuals that were blooming and bright in May are now looking faded, leggy and lifeless now that we have hit the high heat of summer.  So what are we to do?

Coleus - "Big Blonde"

If you want to work with the flowers you have, you can cut back your annuals half way, just above a set of leaves.  In a week of two, you will see new growth that will provide new blooms.  An alternative is to replace the faded plants with fresh new plants.  But what should we replace them with? 

 We need some tough plants that are easy to grow and can beat the heat!

Here are our top five annuals* that can tolerate the intolerable heat!

Moss Rose

1.  Coleus - Big Blonde is just one of the varieties that have been cultivated to take full sun with the temperatures as high as 107 degrees, in both humid or dry conditions.  This particular variety has a light green leaves with magenta stems.

2.  Lantana - The new gold variety  loves 100 degree heat and little water and it will bloom throughout summer.

3. Moss Rose - This succulent plant is low growing and very tolerant of the summer heat and dry conditions.

4.  Sweet Potato Vine - This plant is available in many different leaf colors and shapes.  It works great in a hanging basket.

Sweet Potato Vine

5.  Vinca - Thrives in hot weather and will flower all summer long.  It is available in upright or prostrate varieties.

Vinca

*Many of these can be considered perennials too with our typical mild San Antonio winters