These colorful summer flowers thrive in the garden without a lot of watering.
Kritsada Panichgul
Masses of colorful summer flowers bring undeniable cheer to a gardener.
A skyrocketing water bill?
Credit:Kritsada Panichgul
But there are plenty of flowers that can handle the summer heat withoutdemanding you water them all the time.
African Daisy
Silvery foliage contrasts with vibrant flowers inAfrican daisy(Arctotisspp.
Both the foliage and colorful flowers of this perennial also add delightful fragrance.
Credit: Denny Schrock
)bring the color from midsummer all the way through fall, when many other flowers fade.
They come in both annual and perennial varieties.
Toss them into salads, drinks, or desserts.
Credit: Marty Baldwin
Some look like small flames, others like candles, and still others like ocean coral.
But all love the heat, and most varieties are drought tolerant.
are irresistible to both gardeners and pollinators.
Credit: David Speer
These hard-working perennials bloom with pretty purple flowers even in poor soil, and arerarely bothered by deeror pests.
)make their debut, unfurling gorgeous petals in a huge spectrum of colors andshapes from spider to ruffled.
These fast-growing perennials are surprisingly resilient and handle drought well.
Credit: David Speer
Varieties range fromtough groundcoversto taller varieties that are perfect for vases.
The fragrant, cupped flowers open white and mature to pink.
Size:1-4 feet tall and 1-3 feet wide
Zones:2-8
Geraniums
There are plenty of reasonsgeraniums(Pelargoniumspp.)
Credit:David Speer
Of the various types of geraniums, zonal varieties do best in the heat.
The shrub’s velvety leaves, which look pretty on their own too, remain evergreen in Zones 8-10.
A sturdy member of the mint family, it does just fine without a lot of water.
Credit: Bob Stefko
handles hot, dry conditions beautifully.
If you live in a cooler region, you might still grow it as a summer annual.
Or display it in a pot in summer and let it overwinter indoors until the following summer.
Credit:Carson Downing
Lamb’s Ear
Lamb’s ear(Stachysspp.)
is best known for its velvety,silvery leavesand stems.
Lavender
Matthew Benson
Lavender(Lavendulaspp.)
Credit: Marty Baldwin
is a staple ofMediterranean gardens, thanks to its romantic quality and ability to withstand dry, hot weather.
produces large clusters of flowers in summer that attract all sorts of pollinators.
These North American natives are very adaptable to drought conditions too.
Credit: Jon Jensen
Size:4-12 inches tall and 6-16 inches wide
Mullein
Photo: Matthew Benson
Mullein(Verbascumspp.)
Their spires of showy flowers look gorgeous in acottage gardenand attractpollinators.
Their flowers are versatile, and favorites for cottage-styleperennial bordersas well as meadow gardens.
Credit:Kritsada Panichgul
They don’t need a lot of waterand in fact, hate soggy soilto bloom throughout summer into fall.
Come winter, the spent flowers even look interesting enough to leave on their stems.
The more sun they get, the happier these fragrant perennials will be.
Credit: Kindra Clineff
)comes in all sorts of varieties that produce sweet summer flowers without much water at all.
They vary greatly in height and foliage ranges from needle-like to broad, rounded, paddle-like leaves.
It’s a go-toplant for cottage gardens.
Credit:Peter Krumhardt
Its flowers resemble truesnapdragons, though they’re not related.
In Zones 9-11, it can begrown as a perennial; in others, as an annual.
The summer-blooming varieties of this perennial tend to be taller and rebloom more often than other types.
Credit: Matthew Benson
)handles drought conditions and poor soil extremely well.
Size:1 to 4 feet tall and 1 to 2 feet wide
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