You might think it’s too hot to have much of a garden during the Texas summer, but there are quite a few plants that actually thrive in the heat. Potted transplants should be in ready supply at neighborhood nurseries and garden centers.

Among the annual flowers worth trying this summer are:

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  • Amaranthus (botanically, Amaranthus tricolor): These two- to three-foot-tall plants are grown for their outstanding foliage color of reds, yellows, maroons and greens.
  • Copper plant (Acalypha wilkesiana): Another tall (two to four feet) plant grown for foliage color – a deep, coppery red.
  • Cosmos (Cosmos species): These large plants sport dozens of summer blooms in colors ranging from orange, yellow, purple, pink and white.
  • Lantana (Lantana hybrids): One of the most popular and durable sources of hot-weather color, lantana is colorful and drought-tolerant.
  • Marigolds (Tagetes species): This popular annual blooms dependably right through fall in wonderful golds, yellows, oranges and reds.
  • Purslane (Portulaca oleracea): Commonly sold in hanging baskets, purslane produces colorful red, rose, pink, lavender, orange, yellow and white flowers. They close by mid-afternoon in hot weather, but they open again with morning sun.
  • Zinnias (Zinnia elegans): These tall, stately flowers feature stunning blooms in a variety of colors. They are very easy to start from seed.

Need Some Help?

Are you tomato plants not producing enough tomatoes? Has your once-beautiful lawn turned lifeless and gray? Or are you just wondering what shrub will fit in that tiny, shaded space in the backyard?

If you have questions like these, or any others regarding your garden or landscape, we’ll do our best to gie you answers or point you in the right direction. We’ll be trying to highlight neighborhood resources and solutions whenever possible.

Send questions (and photos or plant samples when possible) to:

Gardening Questions, c/o Advocate Community Newspapers, 6510 Abrams, Dallas, Texas 75231. Watch this space each month for answers.