I think you’ll agree with me that it can be hard to find plants that grow in hot weather. Some plants will thrive in the spring, only to end up struggling once they get exposed to the full heat of summer. That’s why we have put together this list of heat tolerant plants, so you can finally have a lush beautiful garden throughout the whole growing season.
Heat Tolerant Vegetables
Tomato
When it comes to heat-tolerant vegetables tomatoes (Buy Online) are the number one choice for most gardeners. Tomatoes are very easy to grow, and they require minimal care and maintenance. They also can handle temperatures as high as 90F (32 C) without suffering any ill effects or damage.
There are a wide selection of heat-tolerant tomato varieties available, that will produce a bumper crop even if you live in an area that has extremely hot weather.
Heat Tolerant Tomato Hybrids:
Big Beef
Florida
Grape
Homestead
Porter
Sunmaster
Sweet 100
Peppers
Peppers (Buy Online) are another excellent plant that you can add to your vegetable garden that will thrive in hot weather. Peppers are actually a relative of the tomato plant since they are both members of the nightshade family. They are also used to growing in extreme heat since they are native to tropical regions in Central and South America.
Peppers actually need a long hot growing season in order to produce a bountiful harvest. Most pepper plants need at least 90 to 150 days of frost-free weather, which makes them the perfect choice for places that have long hot summers.
Heat Tolerant Peppers:
Marconi Sweet Bell Pepper
Lipstick Sweet Pepper
Corona Sweet Bell Pepper
Habanero
Jalapeño Hot Pepper
Eggplant
Squash
Squash (Buy Online) and Zucchini are both simple to grow plants that thrive in hot weather. Squash is another plant that is native to Central and South America where it thrives in hot and humid weather.
Squash plants will produce an abundant harvest all summer long as long as you keep them well watered. In most cases, you’ll probably have more squash than you know what to do with, and you might even want to share the bounty with your friends and neighbors.
Heat Tolerant Squash:
Crookneck Yellow Squash
Black Beauty Zucchini
Squash Summer Scallop Blend
Summer Early Prolific Straightneck
Cocozelle Zucchini
Zucchini Dunja
Summer Zephyr
Melons
Melons (Buy Online) are a fruit that most people think of when they think of summer. Everyone loves taking a refreshing bite of a rich juicy melon when the temperature starts rising. Thankfully most melons love growing in climates that have long hot summers.
Melons are part of the cucurbit family of plants which includes squash, zucchini, and cucumbers. All of these plants originated in tropical regions like Central America, South America, and Africa, so they are well adapted to handle extremely hot weather.
Heat Tolerant Melons:
Crimson Sweet Watermelon
Watermelon Allsweet
Jubilee Sweet Watermelon
Cantaloupe Hales Best
Ambrosia Hybrid Cantaloupe
“Delicious 51” Cantaloupe
Honeydew Melons
Corn
Corn (Buy Online) is a great heat tolerant crop to grow if you have enough room in your garden. Most people love eating a freshly picked ear of sweet corn at a summer barbeque. You can also grow dent corn or flint corn if you want to produce your own corn flour for baking.
Corn is native to Central and South America, and it needs a long hot summer to produce an abundant harvest. Corn is also one of the few C4 (C4 Photosynthesis) plants that have evolved to thrive in extremely hot weather.
Heat Tolerant Corn:
Peaches & Cream Sweet Corn
Golden Beauty
Golden Bantam
Truckers Favorite Yellow Corn
“Kandy Corn” Hybrid
Sweet Corn Butter & Sugar
Reid’s Yellow Dent Corn
Dent Bloody Butcher
Fiorani Red Flint Corn
Beans
Beans are a great plant to add to any summer garden. They can produce an endless supply of fresh green beans for the dinner table all throughout late summer. They also can be left on the vine to ripen if you want to save some dried beans for the winter.
Beans originate from regions where they experience prolonged periods of hot weather. Most runner beans, bush beans, and even black-eyed peas will all produce a bumper crop in hot weather. The only exception to this is Fava Beans since they prefer cooler climates to yield a decent harvest.
Heat Tolerant Beans:
Green Bush Bean
Blue Lake Bush Bean
Kentucky Wonder Pole Bean
Scarlet Emperor Runner Bean
Henderson Lima
Fordhook Bush
Pinkeye Purple Hull Blackeye Pea
Zipper Cream
Heat Tolerant Perennials
Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed (Buy Online) is an easy to care for perennial that will reward you with bright orange, yellow and red flowers all summer long. This plant also lives up to its name since the pollen-filled flowers will attract butterflies, bees and other beneficial insects into your garden.
Butterfly Weed will grow to about 12 to 36 inches, and it will begin flowering early in the season, then it will continue producing flowers until cold weather sets in.
Butterfly Weed will grow in zones 3 through 9, and it thrives in bright sunlight in sandy acidic soil. It also won’t need to be watered much once it is established since it is very drought tolerant plant.
Heat Tolerant Butterfly Weed:
Milkweed Butterfly American Native
Monarch Flower Seeds
Mexican Butterfly Weed
Butterfly Weed White
Autumn Blaze
Pink Milkweed
Yucca
Yucca (Buy Online) is a lovely perennial to add to any landscape. With its long blade-like leaves and beautiful flowers, it will add a unique touch of texture to any garden. The Yucca plant is native to the southwestern United States where it grows in hot deserts in dry sandy soil. It will easily withstand extremely hot summer temperatures, and it can even grow in areas where temperatures fall as low as 10F (-12C) if you want to try to grow it in a cooler climate.
Heat Tolerant Yucca Plants:
Texas Red Yucca
Banana Yucca
Adam’s Needle
Color Guard Yucca
Bell-flowered Red Yucca
Arizona Yucca Plant
Daylily
Daylilies (Buy Online) are a rewarding plant to grow in any garden. Their low growing lush green foliage makes them an excellent addition to walkways and borders. You can also get dwarf varieties that will fit into even the smallest gardens.
Daylily plants have been grown for centuries all throughout Central Europe and Asia, and they have naturalized all across the world due to their hardy nature. You can get dalily plants that flower in early summer, and each flower will bloom over a 24 hour period. You can also get ever-blooming varieties that keep producing new flowers all season.
Daylilies will thrive in a wide range of temperatures and climatic conditions. They can be planted in zones 3 through 9, and they prefer to grow in full sun in moist yet well-drained soil. In colder climates, you can plant them in the spring once the soil becomes workable. If you’re in a warmer area you can plant them anytime, just make sure to keep them well watered until they are fully established.
Heat Tolerant Daylilies:
Cranberry Baby Daylily
Wild Dalily
Paper Butterfly Daylily
Stella D’Oros Daylilies
Applique Daylily
Stargazer Oriental Lilies
Starlette Daylily
Pandora’s Box Daylily
Echinacea (Coneflower)
Echinacea (Buy Online) is a wonderful plant if you’re looking for an easy to care for perennial that will add a touch of beauty to your flower garden. This plant is native to the eastern United States where it stands out as one of the most striking wildflowers.
The Echinacea plant produces large 6-inch flowers on 3 to 5 foot stems that will draw bees, butterflies, and beneficial insects into your garden. Echinacea prefers to grow in poor sandy soil, and it will actually have trouble growing in heavily amended soil. They also need to grow in full sun, and they are very drought tolerant.
Heat Tolerant Echinacea:
Purple Coneflower Flower
White Swan Coneflower
White Petals Purple Centre
Lime Green Bonsai Coneflowers
Magnus Echinacea Seeds
Red Ruby Echinacea
Tangerine Dream Coneflower
Clematis
Clematis (Buy Online) are one of the most beautiful climbing plants you can add to a garden. They will produce an abundance of flowers all year long, and they are available in a wide range of colors.
Clematis plants require very little care once they are established, and they will provide years of enjoyment wherever you plant them. They will even spread to cover a trellis, arbor, or a fence to create a beautiful wall of flowers.
For the most part, Clematis prefers full sun, and they like rich soil that stays relatively moist all season. The foliage and the flowers can easily withstand hot weather as long as you keep them well watered. Their roots do need to be kept cool, so you might want to add a low growing plant around their base to shade the soil.
Heat Tolerant Clematis :
Royal Velours Clematis
Pink Champagne Clematis
President Clematis
Mrs. N. Thompson Clematis
Jolly Good Clematis
Carnaby Clematis
‘Nelly Moser’ Clematis
