Hot, Sunny Colors for Hot Sunny Places
We have lots of hot, sunny places in our yards where perennials with bright, hot colored flowers are a great match. Some of my favorites include;
Gaillardia grandiflora ‘Arizona Sunshine’ (Blanket Flower) is an excellent native plant for hot, dry, poor soil conditions. It has large red-orange flowers edged with yellow. Arizona sunshine is a wonderful pollinator plant attracting bees and butterflies. Apply xeric-average water and plant in well-drained sandy or average soil.
Erigeron linearis (Threadleaf Fleabane) is a wildflower is in the daisy family and is native to the far western United States. The cheery yellow blossoms are tufted. Great plant for the rock garden or xeriscape. Use xeric watering and grow in well-drained sandy or rocky soils.
Oenothera fremontii ‘Shimmer’ (Shimmer Evening Primrose) is all about foliage, flowers, and texture. Enjoy 2-inch bright lemon-yellow flowers in late spring and re-blooms in summer months. The narrow leaves are pewter-gray and very attractive. Apply xeric water and thrives in most soils including clay.
New for 2019! Coreopsis pubescens ‘Sunshine Superman’ (Sunshine Superman Tickseed) blooms non-stop from mid-summer until October with saucer-like flowers over low, spreading foliage. An easy to grow self-sowing native plant. Requires xeric-average water and does best in well-drained sandy or average soil.
Coreopsis verticilata ‘Zagreb’ is a long blooming, easy-to-grow perennial with a big display of brilliant golden-yellow flowers beginning in late spring. Attractive finely textured bright green foliage and good resistance to browsing rabbits and deer. Likes xeric-average water and grows well in most soils including clay .
Achillea ‘Moonshine’(Moonshine Yarrow) is a long blooming, easy-to-grow perennial with golden-yellow flowers beginning in late spring. Attractive finely textured bright green foliage. It's also resistant to browsing rabbits and deer. Xeric-average water. Grows well in most soils including clay. A great choice for beginner gardeners and/or challenging spots. Shown hear with a yellow Red Hot Poker.
Echinacea paradoxa is a rare native wildflower from the Ozarks. The paradox of this species is that it's a yellow-flowered member of the purple coneflower family. Although it likes a sunny spot, it appreciates average watering and compost enriched garden soil.
Hymenoxys scaposa is one of our very best native New Mexico wildflowers. It has attractive evergreen foliage with yellow daisies that begin to bloom in late spring and bloom into summer. A vigorous re-seeder to fill in areas of the garden. An excellent companion plant with most penstemon. It's a xeric plant and does best in well-drained sandy or average soil.
Penstemon superbus is an early season spring bloomer with coral-orange flowers and evergreen grey-green foliage. It's native to the Southwest. Plant this beauty in fill sun where it gets plenty of heat. It's also a very xeric plant and needs well draining sandy or average soil.
Engelmannia peristina is a tough and showy native wildflower that blooms most of the summer. It is particularly useful in hot, poor planting conditions where it thrives with minimal care. this plant appreciates some supplemental watering during dry spells. It will re-seed itself and naturalize when it's happy.
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