Heat-Tolerant Containers Garden Designers Always Plant in July – They'll Keep Your Pots Colorful Into Fall
These proven plant palettes look spectacular all summer, even when a heatwave hits
Choosing colorful plant combinations for summer containers is fun; it's a chance to flex your creativity in your outdoor space, whatever shape it takes. Yet, the right 'recipe' is about so much more than aesthetics.
There are practical elements to consider, such as can the container garden plants all live happily together in the same soil, will they all thrive in peak summer heat, or will some wilt at the first sign of a drought?
If it's inspiration you're after, we've asked landscape designers, for their favorite combinations of heat-proof flowering shrubs. So, get your favorite containers ready (we like these vintage floral ceramic pots on Amazon.) These container planting combos deliver strong color impact, continuous flowering and resilience, so your balcony, patio or garden can look beautiful in the hottest months.
Shades of Purple With Silver Accents
As the mercury hits 100ºF and humidity rises, container plants can start to suffer in the heat. However, some plants can cope better than others.
For sunny balconies and patios, New York-based landscape designer, Kat Aul Cervoni, founder Staghorn Living, likes to put together an elegant profusion of purple tones offset by silvery foliage for long-lasting summer color. These are her plant picks.
'I like to anchor a full sun, mid-to-late summer planter with Russian sage,' says Kat. 'It's a long-blooming and incredibly tough perennial with gorgeous silvery foliage, coated in tiny purple flowers loved by pollinators.'
This Denim 'n' Lace Russian Sage from Plant Addicts will thrive in zones 4-9 if it has at least six hours of sunshine each day.
For smaller pots, Kat recommends a dwarf variety such as 'Little Spires' so that it grows comfortably in a more petite planter.
'I'd mix this with a darker purple annual bloom like a Supertunia which will add some depth and punchiness to the color palette. Although, a yellow-flowering variety would also work well with it.
'Finally, for the spiller, I'd go with Dichondra 'Silver Falls' to echo the silvery foliage of the Russian sage. If you've got space for one more plant, I'd put a Mexican feather grass in this mix too for the texture and wonderful movement it adds.'
The Royal Velvet Supertunia from Plant Addicts has a deep, rich purple color and can tolerate heat and drought well, while this Feather Grass from Burpee has attractive variegated foliage that will also cascade beautifully from containers in zones 5-9.
Landscape designer, Katherine "Kat" Aul Cervoni is the founder and principal of Staghorn Living. Kat creates outdoor spaces that become natural extensions of a home’s interior. A member of the Ecological Landscape Alliance and the Association of Professional Landscape Designers, she also mentors young plant enthusiasts and upcoming designers.
Copper, Burgundy and Chartreuse
If earthier colors are more your thing, or you have a hot but shady balcony, this punchy palette from Kat delivers a festival of foliage in array of rich tones that span bronze, copper and burgundy through to light green and chartreuse.
These are topped off with striking flower spires in rusty red, deep orange or contrasting white that will last several weeks and can flourish again.
'If I've got a planter in a shadier spot, I like to start with a lush fern, such as Dryopteris erythrosora or Athyrium felix femina as the filler,' says Kat. 'These can have fronds that range from light green to copper.'
This beautiful Dryopteris erythrosora from Burpee will change color with the seasons.
'Then I'd add in a colorful Heuchera - a variety with more purple, bronze, or burgundy tones such as 'Plum Pudding' or 'Palace Purple,' or if you prefer it's ruddy-red cousin, Heucherella 'Hopscotch' (my new obsession), which shoots out coppery orange flower spires,' says Kat.
'Add Creeping Jenny for a punchy chartreuse spiller. If you've got space to squeeze in one more plant, I'd add a rex begonia.'
This Dolce Cherry Truffles Heuchera from Burpee is another cultivar with vibrant burgundy red tones. It would look spectacular teamed with this Goldilocks Creeping Jenny from Nature Hills, with its eye-catching trailing foliage.
Orange, Purple and White
Down in Arizona, where the summers are seriously hot and dry, landscape consultant Noelle Johnson, aka The AZ Plant Lady, has a number of tried and tested drought-tolerant plants she loves to put together for container combos that offer resilience, yet strong and joyful July color.
In one of her favorite recipes, Noelle uses a dwarf orange Tecoma shrub such as 'Sparklette' for her thriller; Purple Angelonia (Angelonia angustifolia) for her filler, and she selects white trailing lantana (Lantana montevidensis) for her spiller.
'I love to use 'Sparklette' Tecoma as it adds orange blooms that rise above the soft purple flower spikes of Angelonia,' says Noelle. 'Beneath those vibrant colors, white trailing Lantana cascades over the sides of the container providing a beautiful contrast.
'These three plants love full sun and cope well with summer heat, so once they're established, they'll keep blooming through the hottest months with very little care.'
Although these species are known to tolerate drought, all plants require some water, so do keep an eye on them in dry spells and supplement regularly.
If you can't find 'Sparklette' Tecoma, this 'Chicklette' Tecoma from Plant Addicts has similar orange blooms. Pair it with this AngelFace Blue Summer Snapdragon from Plant Addicts, it's an Angelonia hybrid with purple blooms and grows well in zones 10-11.
An alternative to white Lantana is this pretty Luscious Royale Piña Colada Lantana from Nature Hills with yellow and white blooms for added color all season.
Noelle Johnson is a horticulturist, landscape consultant, and educator known as AZ Plant Lady. She is the author of The Water-Smart Garden and the award-winning Dry Climate Gardening book, and has been featured by CNN, HGTV, NPR, PBS, Martha Stewart Living, and the Associated Press. Based in Arizona, Noelle specializes in helping gardeners create beautiful, water-wise landscapes that thrive in hot, dry climates.
Red, White and Blue
For something a little bolder, another of Noelle's preferred palettes is an eye-catching red, white and blue mix. This plant combo not only looks spectacular when first planted, it will stay so throughout the summer – although it will require supplemental watering.
In this mix Noelle starts with 'Blue Victoria' Salvia as her thriller, surrounded with Red Vinca as her filler. These bold beauties are then contrasted with white trailing Scaevola (Scaevola aemula) as the spiller.
'The blue flowering spikes of 'Blue Victoria' Salvia adds height to the container, while red vinca fills it with nonstop blooms and white Scaevola spills over the edges with its delicate fan-shaped flowers,' says Noelle.
'The cool mix of blue, red, and white creates a fresh, elegant look that stands up beautifully to summer heat, rewarding you with months of color in a sunny spot with regular watering.'
This Blue Marvel Salvia from Nature Hills has a similar striking purple tone to 'Blue Victoria' that pairs well with this Red Vinca from Lowe's. This Stardivia White Fan flower from Plant Addicts is a Scaevola aemula that will generously fill and gently spill over the edges of your containers. It's an Australian native that can endure high heat, strong sun, and even short periods of drought without losing its attractive appearance.
What to Shop
This charming ceramic pot has a vintage floral design. It has a drainage hole and measures 6.11" in diameter.
This potting mix is packed with nutrients and well-draining to support container garden growing.
Use this soil moisture meter to monitor water levels in your container garden and top up accordingly.
Whether you want to emulate these exact heat-tolerant container plants for July, choose one or two of the species mentioned to mix with other drought-tolerant plants for pots, or create your own heat-tolerant container combinations entirely, it's not too late to have fun with flowers and foliage for lasting summer color.
If you love inspiring garden ideas, outdoor advice, and the latest news, why not sign up for our newsletter and get the latest features delivered straight to your inbox?
