Ask the Experts Five Tough Summer Plants that will Survive the Texas Heat June 29, 2021 The hot summer days can make your plants fizzle and your flowers fade. However, Texas’ yards have become the envy of those who didn’t live there since they have heat-tolerant plants and flowers thriving all year round. It can be undeniably hot in Texas during summer – there may be little to no rain for long periods of time. Now that you have spent a huge chunk of your time and energy devoted to making your yard looking nice, you may wonder what kinds of plants survive a Texas summer. Surely, there is nothing worse than creating the garden of your dreams, only to find wilted stems and scorched leaves in your landscape. Here is a helpful list of our favorite summer plants that thrive in the Texas heat: Angelonia Also known as the summer snapdragons, Angelonia is a spreading annual and are among the top picks for those looking for a taller plant. They come in blue, pink, red, purple, and white. Plus, they are wonderful for potting! Hibiscus You can’t talk about heat-resistant flowers without giving hibiscus a shoutout. The hibiscus plant produces the biggest rose mallow flowers than any hardy perennial. These showy flowers feature huge, ruffled, and thin petals in pinks, yellows, peaches, corals, blues, whites, and reds. Lantana This beauty comes in yellow, orange, lavender, or pink blooms. They are available as an annual and a perennial and are considered to be a bushy and low-growing plant. They bloom throughout the summer and well into the fall. If you are planting a variety of annuals, we suggest that you plant your Lantana towards the back, since they will likely grow tall and exceed the height of your other flowering plants. Vinca Also known as Madagascar periwinkle, vincas are wonderful annual blooms for bedding. They will perform well in any kind of garden and will thrive even during the hottest days of summer. The plants can grow about 6-18 inches tall, depending on the variety. If you haven’t tried planting vincas, you should know that it has an expanded color palette that includes shades of rose, pink, and lilac. Zinnia Zinnias are one of the most well-known garden plants, and they are available in more than a dozen species. Apart from being easy to care for, zinnias come in an assortment of colors, from pastel greens and pinks to flaming oranges and reds. They are warm-season, fast-growing flowers that require minimal care and bloom with abandon. The Texas heat is creeping into our gardens and homes, and these summer plants are not only some of the toughest, hardiest plants that will thrive – they will beautify your outdoor space with their showy, colorful blooms.