If there are gardeners out there who can’t wait for hot weather, I haven’t met them. It’s pretty awful to wake up to a hot morning when the heat gets hotter and hotter as the day goes on.
Many popular garden plants make it through a heat wave because they have roots that go deep into the soil where there is moisture. But when these same plants live in containers, there is no deep soil and no room for deep roots. Container plants have a very limited amount of soil, and that soil dries out quickly during summer drought.
This does not mean that all container plants are doomed to the summer heat. The best drought tolerant container plants they thrive in warm weather and with reduced water. succulents and cacti are at the top of the list, but there are many other low-water, heat-loving plants that bring color and interest. Below are seven of my favorites and some tips to help container plants survive the heat.
Helping container plants survive the heat
You can help your plants thrive in a heat wave taking some precautions. Make sure the plants you leave outside during a heat wave are drought tolerant and like the heat – but their maturity is also important. Don’t leave young, young perennial plants outside during a heat wave. Give them a year to establish themselves.
Otherwise, follow these tips:
- Water your container plants early morning every day.
- Water until you see water coming out of the drainage holes.
- Add a 2-3 inch layer of mulch on top of the soil in each container. Use organic compost, chopped dry leaves or wood chips.
- In really hot weather, move the containers out of the sun for the afternoon. A location with morning sun and afternoon shade is best.
- Don’t do it they fertilize the plants not at all in hot weather. Wait until cooler weather arrives.
Heatwave Garden Essentials
Oycevila 5 lb Water storage crystals for plants
You can reduce watering by up to 50% by mixing these water-storing crystals into your potting soil.
4 Pack Plant Umbrellas for Outdoor Plants
These fun plant umbrellas can be angled to protect vulnerable plants during periods of intense heat.
Back to Roots Organic Expanding Mulch
Apply a layer of this expanding layer of coconut husk over the top of the potting soil to keep the soil cool and conserve moisture.
1. Silver jade plant
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The silver dollar jade plant (Crassula arborescens) is an attractive succulent with round, puffy blue-grey leaves with a rich wine color. Native to South Africa, this striking plant has thick stems and starry white or pink flowers in spring.
You can purchase a variety of jade plants online from Altman Plants at Lowe’s.
Jade it is a perfect container plant in USDA zones 9-11. Its relatively short roots need it well-drained soil and minimal water. In fact, too much water will rot the roots of this plant. Like other succulents, the silver jade plant stores water in its swollen leaves for use in times of drought. This is one of those plants that you can place in a yard, admire every few days, and neglect the rest of the time.
2. Russian Sage
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There are plants with amazing flowers that actually grow best in a sunshinearid location? There are indeed, and Russian sage is one of them. It is an upright shrub that prefers full sun in well-drained soils. Performs best in dry, dry conditions.
Russian sage forms clumps 3 feet (1 m) tall, with sturdy upright stems and silver-gray leaves. They have a pleasant spicy aroma when you touch them. The tubular purple flowers appear from June to October. Varieties such as ‘Blue Spire’ and ‘Blue Mist’ produce better flowers than the species plant.
You can plant Russian sage in a container in a sunny yard, but you may want to choose a dwarf variety such as Denim ‘n Lace by Plant Addictsor Little Spire, available at Lowe’s. Give the pot an occasional deep watering, then leave it alone until it dries out completely.
3. Purple Fountain Grass
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Oh la la, this is a great fountain plant! It is graceful and colorful, with waves of soft purple plumes rising from burgundy foliage. Purple grass fountain (Pennisetum cetaceum “Rubrum”) is his superstar grass fountaindramatic in containers or mass plantings.
With its short roots, Purple grass thrives in containers as an annual and perennial in zones 9–11. It is pest and disease free, and tolerant of hot sun and little water. Planted in large containers, this grass can reach 5 feet tall, making a lovely entryway frame when placed on either side of a doorway, adding visual interest with its height, movement and color.
Buy purple grass online from Nature Hills.
4. Thorncrest Century Plant
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plant of the century Thorncrest (Agave univittata ), a guy agave, grows wild on the Rio Grande plains, thriving in dry, well-drained, rocky soil in zones 9-11. This allows it to take its rightful place among the best drought-tolerant container plants that stay rich in heat. Try this attractive Quadricolor variety from Altman Plants via Amazon.
Agave forms a rosette of leaves at its base. lovely, dark green leaves with a lighter green stripe down the middle. These large leaves pile up to about 2 feet (60 cm) in height. Then, of course, they bloom – but don’t hold your breath. Agaves only bloom once in a lifetime, but when they do, what a show! The flower stalk appears in spring and is up to 10–15 feet (3–5 m) tall.
The Thorncrest century plant is a fuss-free plant that doesn’t need a lot of water. Put it in a sunny spot. If you live in a cooler zone, you can still grow century plant. Place it in a container and move it indoors during the winter.
5. Asian jasmine
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Common jasmine is an evergreen climbing vine with lovely fragrant white flowers that requires regular water to leaf out and bloom. But Asian jasmine (Trachelospermum asiatica) – unrelated to the true jasmine race – is an evergreen, woody, vine-like plant that makes a good, drought-tolerant perennial for containers in zones 7–10. In colder zones, it can be grown as annual.
Diverse varieties, like new Snow-N-Summer Asiatic Jasmine, available at Plant Addictsthey are particularly striking, with foliage ranging in pink, white and green.
While many use Asiatic jasmine in the landscape for an alternative ground cover, this plant, with its tiny yellow ‘stud’ flowers, also does well in containers in shade or sun. It will reach 3 feet (1 m) tall and half as wide. Gardeners in Florida often choose Asian jasmine because of its hardiness and drought tolerance. Once established, this jasmine needs very little care.
6. Rosemary
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Native to the hot Mediterranean region of Europe, rosemary (Salvia rosmarinus) it offers so much that you can’t go past it as a drought tolerant, heat loving plant. This bush perennial herb it also has really lovely blue flowers, attracting oohs and aahs and pollinators. Driving in Spain, I have seen wild fields of rosemary so beautiful they took my breath away.
Rosemary is drought tolerant and grows best in full sun in warm areas. Can you grow it in a pot? It is better, since the bush does not like moisture in its soil very much, and the soil in a container stays drier than the soil in the ground. Rosemary thrives in zones 7-11. In colder regions, grow rosemary in a container and bring it inside for the winter.
7. Cushion Spurge
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I’ve never heard of a pillow spurge (Euphorbia epithymoides)? Well, say hello to one of the most drought-tolerant perennials for USDA zones 4 through 8. The plant’s flowers are gorgeous, yellow flowers supported by chartreuse bracts on a plant that grows to about 18 inches (50 cm) tall. The second show takes place in autumn when the foliage changes to orange and red.
Cushion spurge is an excellent choice for patio container plants. just choose a large container with adequate drainage holes. This plant is happy, but will also thrive in partial shade, although too much shade will cause the cushion to stick out, despite its classic cushion shape.
Another good spiral for containers that have a similar cushion-like growth habit is Tiny Tim dwarf spurge, available at Walmart.
