20 Drought-Tolerant Plants That Beat The Summer Heat

Aloe

• Botanical Name: Aloe barbadensis miller
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type: Sandy soil
• Soil pH: 7.0 - 8.5

Due to their succulent status, many species of aloe are drought resistant. Aloe brings some sculptural interest to landscaping thanks to their big, bright green succulent leaves. They can survive on little water, but water plants occasionally to prolong their lifespan. Spend a little too much time in the summer sun? Aloe can be used to treat burns—just cut off one of your aloe leaves and rub the gel on your burn for instant relief!

Angelonia

• Botanical Name: Angelonia angustifolia
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type: Well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.2

This tropical native, also known as Angelonia angustifolia, blooms all summer and loves the heat. The fragrant plant displays showy spikes of blue, purple, pink, or white blossoms, and hybrids offer additional color selections. Angelonias are grown as annuals in most places but are perennials in USDA cold hardiness zones that are above 9. They are excellent as bedding plants or in containers.

Quick Tip

• In its initial growing season, Angelonia flowers can attract aphids. Spray an insecticidal soap twice a week to say goodbye to the little crawlers.

Black-Eyed Susan

• Botanical Name: Rudbeckia hirta
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type: Clay, loam, and sandy soils
• Soil pH: <6.8

Sturdy and easy to grow, this early-summer-blooming flower brightens gardens with its striking petals. Cutting encourages them to rebloom late in the season. The two to four-inch blooms have orange-red rays and a prominent purplish-black cone. Deer usually steer clear of these plants.

Blanket Flower

• Botanical Name: Gaillardia pulchella
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type: Sandy, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 6.1 - 6.5

These easygoing summer bloomers feature daisy-like flowers in warm colors—yellow, orange, and red. They thrive on neglect, so put away the watering can and fertilizer. Blanket flowers will spread or "blanket" an area with their beautiful blooms, and will come back year after year. Their blooms make excellent cut flowers.

Butterfly Bush

• Botanical Name: Buddleja davidii
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Clay, loam, and sandy, well-draining soils
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 8.5

This flowering shrub, also known as Buddleja davidii, is a fast-growing plant resistant to drought. It produces masses of spiky blooms through the summer months, and butterflies love them. These perennial bushes of blooms are fairly low maintenance—so just sit back, and watch while the pollinators feast. Cultivators have developed varieties in a wide range of colors and sizes.

Catmint

• Botanical Name: Nepeta cataria
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.0 - 8.0

Once established, this fragrant plant is tolerant of low-water conditions. These long-lived perennials produce pretty purple flowers alongside gray-green foliage that attracts butterflies and bees. Catmint is excellent for edging plants as it has a sprawling growth pattern. Catmint can spread very quickly, so pruning is crucial in controlling its growth.

Chaste Tree

• Botanical Name: Vitex agnus-castus
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Loose, well-drained soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.0
  

Purple summertime blooms are the calling cards of these beautiful trees. They are drought-tolerant plantings that add color to the landscape in the height of summer heat. They grow best in full sun and can also handle coastal conditions. Deadhead your chaste tree in late winter to promote flowering in the spring and summer months.

Coneflower

• Botanical Name: Echinacea purpurea
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, well-drained, loamy soils
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.0

These plants are known for their drought- and heat-tolerant qualities. Their many-colored blooms bring some vibrancy to the garden when everything else is wilting in the heat. One of the most popular is Echinacea purpurea or purple coneflower. These flowering bulbs are deer-resistant.

Dianthus

• Botanical Name: Dianthus caryophyllus
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, well-drained soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.5

These drought-tolerant and deer-resistant plants are known for their pretty flowers and mounding blue-green foliage. These sprawling perennials grow well along borders in sunny spots in the garden. Bloom time depends on the variety, but each flower has jagged-edged petals.

Lantana

• Botanical Name: Lantana camara
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, well-drained soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.5

Lantanas laugh at heat and snicker at drought. Tiny flowers in tight clusters resembling small nosegays appear continuously in warm weather. Plus, a lantana garden is butterfly heaven—no flowers do a better job attracting them. Be cautious in planting lantana if you have little kids, dogs, or horses, as they are poisonous to them.

Madagascar Periwinkle

• Botanical Name: Catharanthus roseus
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, sandy or loam, well-drained soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.0

Native to Madagascar, India, and tropical Asia, these bushy plants thrive in humid and dry heat. Flowers bloom atop glossy leaves in pure white, pink, rose, or white with a rose or red eye. The flower was formerly known botanically as Vinca rosea, and many people still call it vinca. Editors Tip: Try Nirvana and Cora Madagascar periwinkles.

Mealycup Sage

• Botanical Name: Salvia farinacea
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, moist, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: <6.8

Tall, densely packed flowers appear on this plant, native to southern New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, in late spring. Blooms vary from deep violet to white. Cuplike calyxes—covered with white hairs—often have a blue or violet tinge. Like other members of the sage family, Mealycup Sage is generally pest free.

Portulaca

• Botanical Name: Portulaca oleracea
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Sandy, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 7.0

This flashy plant, commonly known as Moss Rose, is known for its brilliant rose-like flowers in a variety of colors sitting atop succulent foliage. Generally, blossoms open fully in bright light and close by mid-afternoon in hot weather. Portulaca thrives in high temperatures and intense sunlight and is not fussy about soil. Remove old blooms to stimulate new bloom growth.

Sedum

• Botanical Name: Sedum telephium
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Sandy, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 6.0 - 7.5

Versatile sedums, also known as stonecrop, can grow with little water. These flowers will produce the healthiest showing of flowers and foliage with weekly water during their blooming seasons. Bright yellow-green Sedums bloom in tiny, star-shaped flowers. Sedum is a great option for a ground cover plant as it is low-growing and non-invasive while bringing attention to the area with its stunning foliage.

Spurge

• Botanical Name: Euphorbia
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Sandy, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.0 - 7.0

Hardy spurge, also known as Euphorbia, produces bright, eye-catching flowers. These plants thrive in even the hottest and driest conditions. These low-maintenance plants are excellent for containers. Be careful when dealing with spurge, as it has a milky sap that is poisonous to humans. Handle the plant with gloves and do not let it come in contact with your eyes.

Threadleaf Coreopsis

• Botanical Name: Coreopsis verticillata
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Well-draining sandy or loamy soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.5

Southern natives, these easy-to-grow flowers, also known as tickseed, are members of the sunflower family. Coreopsis yields a profusion of yellow blooms. Their seeds attract birds and their colorful blooms attract butterflies, but deer tend to steer clear. They come in annual and perennial varieties.

Salvia

• Botanical Name: Salvia officinalis
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.5

This summer bloomer, also known as "sage," can go without water for extended periods and looks great in beds, containers, and borders. It produces small, spiky flowers and thrives in full sun. Salvia attracts pollinators, including bees, hummingbirds, and butterflies. Plant Salvia in the spring.

Verbena

• Botanical Name: Verbena
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.8 -7.2

The numerous selections of this flower are some of the garden's most colorful, practical, and easy-to-grow plants. They bloom in late spring, thrive in heat, and tolerate drought. Verbena grows moderately fast, reaching full size in a few weeks. Verbena grows beautifully up fences and is gorgeous hanging from baskets, but is fairly easy to manage and grow wherever you choose to plant it.

Yucca

• Botanical Name: Yucca filamentosa
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Sandy, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 6.5

These succulents are drought tolerant because they store water in their trunks. They produce big rosettes of sword-shaped leaves, and some species have big white flowers. Grow as houseplants until their size exceeds your available indoor space. Yucca plants are pretty low-maintenance—just water them about once a week in the summer.

Zinnia

• Botanical Name: Zinnia elegans
• Sun Exposure: Full sun
• Soil Type:  Rich, well-draining soil
• Soil pH: 5.5 - 7.5

Zinnias are longtime garden favorites for colorful, round flowers. The flexible hot-weather plants don't gain from planting early and stand still until the weather warms up. Zinnias will bloom more after cuttings. While they are annual plants, you can easily save their seeds for next year by letting your zinnias go brown and collecting their seeds. Their bright blooms will attract many pollinators.