Contrary to the old tune lyrics, come summertime, the livin' is not easy for some of the garden bloomers. The livin' can be easy if the plant life is chosen to match the growing conditions.  The most damaging situation is exposure to full, blazing noontime sun.

There are some plants that not only will survive the hot sun, they actually thrive in it.  Herbs like Basil, Fennel and Rosemary love the heat.  So do all of the ornamental peppers.

Got red?  Crocosmia 'Lucifer' heats up the garden even more with its bright orange-red blossoms.  The firecracker plant (Russelia equisetiformis) is a mounder with stems full of  bright red tubes held above the fountain of ferny looking foliage.  It has staying power in sizzling summers.

Surprisingly, New Guinea impatiens do extremely well in the noontime sun.  In my garden, they get late afternoon shade.  Their culture says they can take sun, but I have always given them a good deal of shade, which cuts back on their flower power. They also need watering every day, if it does not rain, so they are far from carefree. However, they are bright bloomers with good-looking foliage.

Succulents laugh at the heat and draught.  They come in tall and small with fleshy foliage that stores water.  They resent being overwatered, and even fed, and will respond to good care by dying.  No fertilizer and no water suit them best, as long as you move them into a decent sized container from the tee-tiny ones they probably came in.

Zinnias are another summer stalwart.  They love sun and good air currents to keep their foliage from graying out and going crispy with mildew.  They are quick up and quick to flower, an especially nice attribute.  They can be planted throughout the growing season to keep fresh flowers coming.

Tiger lilies, Oriental lilies, and Daylilies all grow stalks of beautiful flowers in the heat of summer.  It will soon be time to slip them into the ground.  Fall planting gives their roots time to establish before they become the flower machines of summer.

Want a tree for the summer landscape? Althea, Hibiscus, Rose of Sharon are all the same tall shrub/small tree.  The flowers come in pink, blue, or white with single petals that look like a hibiscus or very double flowers that resemble powder puffs.  When it's hot and humid it is their time to shine.

What shade garden does not benefit from a patch or a sweep of impatiens?  Are they over-used?  Yes.  Are they maligned as common?  Yes.  Do we care?  No.  They are perfect for hot shade.  Why shouldn't they be popular?  When something works overtime to bloom in the heat, I say use it.

Many of these flowers are rather tender and may have to be wintered over indoors or in a greenhouse in your area.  Others are annuals and need to be planted every year.  Check for the zone before you add any to your garden.

---Posted by Anne K Moore, August 6, 2007---