Flowers for Full Sun & Hot Weather

Lucky is the gardener with a landscape of full sun and a growing season of hot weather. Many colorful flowers love these conditions. Shade-loving hellebores and primroses may have to be left to others, but the clear colors of anemones and the papery textures and vivid hues of ranunculus are among just a few of the choice selections for the sun.

Of all the annual poppies, the Shirley poppy (Papever rhoeas) is one of the most appealing. It needs full sun and requires very little water once germinated. It attains heights between 2 to 5 feet with colors ranging from whites to pinks through orange shades and reds. The blossoms are 2 inches across in varieties from single papery blossoms to double and ruffly jewels. It throws its seed freely if the pods are left to ripen, sending out starts for the following year.

The tall oriental poppy (Papever orientale) and the shorter Iceland poppy (P. nudicaule) are both perennial poppy plants for full sun and hot weather. The oriental poppy stands to 4 feet tall with large single or double flowers to 6 inches across. The Iceland poppy matures at 2 feet with slightly smaller, but fragrant blossoms. These perennial sun-lovers are available in nearly every color of the rainbow.

A native of Mexico when first introduced, the zinnia craves hot weather. Since that first introduction, the zinnia has been bred and developed into countless varieties of every flower color except blue. Some grow only 8 inches tall while others stretch to 3 feet. All zinnia types are warm weather plants adoring full sun and well-drained, average soils.

Sunflowers (Helianthus) are grown both as a food crop and as a cutting flower for bouquets. They need a long growing period in hot sun, up to 120 days, and very fertile soil and regular water to perform at their best. Most of the large types grown for their seed (H. annuus) have one flower at the top of a stalk stretching to 12 feet tall. For bouquets, the types with multiple branches are grown such as bright bandolier, sunspot, and teddy bear. The sunflower ranges in colors from pure yellows through all shades of golds and rusts.

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia) is a carefree flower that blooms over the entire summer in full sun. It is a hardy annual that self-sows itself, spreading in a low blanket of tiny white, fragrant blossoms across the flower bed. It only stands as high as 1 foot and is useful to plant among bulbs to hide their foliage when bulb-flowering is finished.