Plants That Like Full Sun and Heat
Australia’s hot summer puts the spotlight squarely on sun-loving plants, and is a fantastic opportunity to try out some new additions to your garden.
Planting for your local conditions
Before choosing a plant to fill that hot, sunny spot, it’s important to do a bit of research to make sure it will grow well in your local climatic conditions.
Some plants thrive in the dry heat of arid zones, but don’t do well in tropical humidity.
That said, many plants that like full sun are exceptionally adaptable, and can tolerate a range of environmental conditions including climatic extremes and soil types.
Top plants to grow in full sun
Keen to fill out some sunny spots in the garden this summer? Here are some of our favourite full sun plants.
Calibrachoa
Calibrachoas are also known as Million Bells, which gives some clues about their flowers.
Covered in masses of petite petunia-like flowers for much of the year, they’re perfect as a trailing ground-cover or spilling over a hanging basket.
These summer favourites bloom best with at least 6 hours daily of full sun, and are easy to maintain. Choose from flower colours including reds, yellows, whites, pinks and purples.
Aloes
Aloe hybrids such as Big Red are highly adaptable, long lived and low maintenance plants, able to tolerate a range of climatic extremes including heat, frost and drought once established.
Aloe Big Red is a tall-stemming variety that sports multiple bright red flower spikes in winter with a long flowering season. Water occasionally over summer dry periods.
Santolina
Santolina Cotton Lavender (Santolina chamaecyprissus) is a hardy Mediterranean shrub that is not actually a lavender, despite having similarly aromatic silvery-green foliage.
In fact, it is related to chamomile. It has small yellow ball-like flowers and makes for attractive, low maintenance borders, edging and rockeries. Drought tolerant, Santolina grows well in dry heat but doesn’t love humidity.
Daylilies
For flowers that like full sun, you can’t go past delightful Daylilies. These colourful, long flowering perennials are drought, frost resistant and low maintenance.
They need 5-7 hours of sun every day and respond well to lots of organic matte plus thick mulch. Daylily Rapid Eye Movement has extra large amber blooms with a huge plum coloured eye.
Agapanthus
Agapanthus varieties are one of the most adaptable and low maintenance plants out there, being well-suited to a wide range of garden aspects.
They are drought tolerant and will grow in tricky spots where nothing else is willing to grow, including in full sun, shade or poor soil.
They are available in various flower colours across blues, purples and white, as well as in a range of sizes. Remove spent flower heads to minimise the spread of seeds.
Get started today
Garden Express stocks a huge range of sun-loving varieties to try in your garden this summer. Browse our range online today.
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