Here’s an all-inclusive list of the Best Flowers for Full Sun that you can grow in your garden for an erratic display of colors!
Looking for flowers that flourish in the heat waves and can even tolerate the temperature range of 100 F (38 C)? Well, here they are—the Best Flowers for Full Sun, and some of these flowers are very drought tolerant as well.
Best Flowers for Full Sun
1. Pentas
Botanical Name: Pentas lanceolata
USDA Zones: 8-11
Beautiful Pentas attract pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and sunbirds due to the nectar. This is a tough, heat-tolerant plant that you can grow in containers.
2. Lantana
Botanical Name: Lantana camara
USDA Zones: 8-11
Lantana is a common tropical and arid climate flower that blooms year-round in bright colors like red, yellow, orange, white, or pink and thrives in neglect and heat.
Check out the best types of lantana here
3. Plumbago
Botanical Name: Plumbago auriculata
USDA Zones: 8-12
Plumbago is a beautiful vine-like African native shrub that thrives with minimal care in the subtropical or tropical heat. Its sky-blue flowers appear almost year-long in the right climate.
4. Moonflower
Botanical Name: Ipomoea alba
USDA Zones: 8-12
The spectacular display of large and fragrant pure white flowers resembles morning glory and opens in the evening. It flowers year-round in subtropics, but if you live in a temperate region, grow it annually as it is one of the best annual flowers for full sun.
5. Hibiscus
Botanical Name: Hibiscus
USDA Zones: 9-11
Hibiscus is low maintenance, can be grown in pots easily, and is available in myriads of colors and for both temperate and warm climates!
Discover the Different Varieties of Hibiscus here.
6. Moss Rose
Botanical Name: Portulaca grandiflora
USDA Zones: 2 to 11 (as an annual)
With amazing needle-like foliage and bright and colorful small flowers, Portulaca plants are worth a place in your container garden, in hanging baskets, or in window boxes whether you live in the tropic or in the temperate zone!
Get some Moss Rose Growing Tips here
7. Blanket Flower
hgtv
Botanical Name: Gaillardia
USDA Zones: 7-11
Also known as the blanket flower, gaillardia is a heat-resistant and drought-tolerant plant that belongs to the sunflower family. The blooms look attractive and become excellent cut flowers.
Check out the best types of lantana here
8. King’s Mantle
Botanical Name: Thunbergia erecta
USDA Zones: 9-11
Also called bush clock vine, it is a shrub that is native to Africa. This prolific year-round bloomer comes in shades of violet, purple, and yellow and is considered one of the best flowering bushes for full sun.
9. Mandevilla
zahaslowana
Botanical Name: Mandevilla sanderi
USDA Zones: 6-12
Grow Mandevilla as annual in cooler climates; it is a fast-growing and heat-resistant tropical climber that blooms heavily. Flowers are pink, white, or red in color.
10. Bottlebrush
Botanical Name: Callistemon
USDA Zones: 8-11
With its brush-like puffy flowers that appear throughout the year, the bottlebrush is, without a doubt, one of the best flowering shrubs for full sun. If grown in a cooler zone, bring the bottlebrush plant indoors before the first frost to overwinter it.
11. Marigold
Botanical Name: Tagetes
USDA Zones: 2-11 (as an annual)
Marigolds love the sun and heat, so keep them in a spot that receives full sun, and they’ll bloom heavily. With the choices available, you can grow marigolds either as annual or perennial. It is one of the best perennial flowers for full sun.
Find out types of marigolds and how to grow them in pots here
12. Angelonia
Botanical Name: Angelonia angustifolia
USDA Zones: 9-11
Due to the shape of the flowers, it is often called a summer snapdragon and is one of the best flowering plants for full sun. This lovely heat-resistant plant is usually grown as an annual, and the flowers are available in blue, green, orange, pink, red, white, and yellow colors.
13. Canna Lily
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Botanical Name: Canna indica
USDA Zones: 7-11
Cannas require warmth, full sun, and moist soil to thrive. Depending on the variety, cannas can grow between 1 to 8 feet tall and comes in shades of red, orange, and yellow.
Check out the best canna lily here
14. Desert Rose
Botanical Name: Adenium obesum
USDA Zones: 9-12
You can also grow adenium for quick bonsai; it can be planted outside in frost-free zones. Once established, this magnificent plant covers itself with beautiful tubular flowers. In temperate zones, you can grow adenium as a houseplant.
Find some Adenium Growing Tips here
15. Cock’s Comb
Botanical Name: Celosia argentea
USDA Zones: 7-11
Celosias are generally grown as annuals, but they are one of the best flowers for full sun. Growing celosia in containers is a great way to have this unusual flower in your patio or balcony garden.
16. Petunia
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Botanical Name: Petunia × atkinsiana
USDA Zones: 5-10
Petunias love sun and heat; they are one the most beautiful and popular annual flowers. However, this frost-tender plant is perennial in warmer climates.
Here’s everything you need to know about growing Petunias
17. Texas Bluebonnets
fleuroselect
Botanical Name: Lupinus texensis
USDA Zones: 4-9
Bluebonnets are a state flower of Texas, and it is one of the best flowers for the full sun. You can grow it in your container garden too, making it one of the best container flowers for full sun.
18. Princess Flower
Botaical Name: Tibouchina urvilleana
USDA Zones: 9-11
‘Princess Flower’ can be grown as perennial and annuals, both. It looks beautiful with silver and downy flower buds that open in deep purple blossoms atop contrasting velvety green foliage.
19. Salvia
Botanical Name: Salvia
USDA Zones: 9-11
The salvia genus has both annual and perennial species, but annuals are more suitable for container gardening. It comes in deep purple, blue, orange, and red blooms.
Here are Problems with Salvias and How to Solve Them
20. Ground Orchids
gardenlove.from.amandaland
Botanical Name: Spathoglottis plicata
USDA Zones: 10-12
Ground orchid offers colorful clusters of blooms ranging from deep pink to yellow on arching foliage – they can be grown as annuals.
Find some Unique Orchids here
21. Diamond Frost Euphorbia
Botanical Name: Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’
USDA Zones: 10-12
It grows best in the sun but also flowers in partial shade. This tender perennial is planted as an annual in most regions. It has a mounding habit and upright stems and produces white blooms all season long.
22. Bolivian Begonia
Botanical Name: Begonia boliviensis
USDA Zones: 8-11
Bronze foliage species are best for the full sun. The unique serrated foliage and bright fiery red flowers look great in containers and hanging baskets.
Here is our Elatior Begonia Care and Growing Guide
23. Million Bells
Botanical Name: Calibrachoa
USDA Zones: 5-11
Million Bells can be grown as an annual in all zones. It grows best in full sun to part shade in moist, rich, well-draining soil. The plant flowers continuously in a rainbow of shades.
24. Bidens
Botanical Name: Bidens
USDA Zones: 6-11
The stunning red and gold blooms of ‘Beedance Painted Red‘ grab attention in containers. ‘Suntory Lobelia Trailing White‘ and ‘Surfinia Deep Red‘ are also great picks!
25. SunPatiens
Botanical Name: Sunpatiens
USDA Zones: 9-12
Sunpatiens grow very well in containers, even in full sun and partial shade as well. You can grow bright orange flowers of vigorous Clear Orange SunPatiens for natural sunshine in your outdoor spaces.
Learn about Growing SunPatiens here
26. Sweet Alyssum
Botanical Name: Lobularia maritima
USDA Zones: 4-10
‘Snow Princess’ is a heat and sun-tolerant variety and blooms non-stop all summer long. You can grow it as a sun-tolerant plant in containers.
27. Sunflower
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Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus
USDA Zones: 2-11
Sunflowers thrive best in places with full sun and flowers during summer or early fall. Varieties like Lemon Queen and Solsation Flame are the best choice for containers.
Check out the best white sunflowers here
28. Globe Amaranth
Botanical Name: Gomphrena globosa
USDA Zones: 2-11
Butterflies love the lollipop-like flowers of Gomphrena and come in a range of shades from purple, pink, and red.
29. Spider Flower
Botanical Name: Cleome spinosa
USDA Zones: 8-11
Senorita Rosalita cleome is a thornless version and looks great in containers. This beautiful annual is easy to grow in a warm location and under full sun.
30. Rose
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Botanical Name: Rosa
USDA Zones: 3-11
Roses do well in containers, and you can grow them easily on patios, decks, balconies, and entranceways. The plant prefers 5-6 hours of full sun each day with good air circulation.
Have a look at the most important things to consider while growing roses here
31. Bougainvillea
Botanical Name: Bougainvillea
USDA Zones: 9-12
Bougainvillea flowers across the year, and you can grow them in pots easily. Place the container where it receives at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight and water when the soil is dry.
Learn about Growing Bougainvillea in Pots here
32. Yellow Bell Flower
Botanical Name: Tecoma
USDA Zones: 7-11
Tecoma grows best in warm, frost-free climates, under full sunlight. The tubular, pink, red-orange, and yellow blooms look beautiful as a climbing vine or as a border plant in containers.
33. Bleeding Heart Vine
davesgarden
Botanical Name: Clerodendrum thomsoniae
USDA Zones: 9-12
The plant requires direct sun to flower well. It flowers during spring and summer and produces clusters of star-shaped flowers.
34. Oleander
Botanical Name: Nerium Oleander
USDA Zones: 8b-12
This tough ornamental shrub produces large clusters of pink, red, yellow, or white, single or double bloom all year round.
35. Arabian Jasmine
Botanical Name: Jasminum sambac
USDA Zones: 9-11
Arabian Jasmine, which is also the state flower of the Philippines, is loved for really fragrant white blossoms that fade to pink with age and contrasting glossy, deep green oval foliage. The flowers occur all summer long and proceed to bloom year-round in warm climates.
Check out the Amazing Benefits of Jasmine Plants here
36. Vinca
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Botanical Name: Catharanthus roseus
USDA Zones: 9-12
Also known as Madagascar Periwinkle, this is undoubtedly one of the most productive bloomers on this list. It tolerates heat and scorching summer sun and doesn’t mind if you miss watering it occasionally.
Find the Best Vinca Varieties here
37. Gazania
rahmanflorist69
Botanical Name: Gazania rigens
USDA Zones: 9-11
These cheerful Gazanias have big, bold petals that come in a range of bright colors with contrasting stripes and markings, making them one of the Best Flowers for Full Sun.
38. Black-Eyed Susan
Botanical Name: Rudbeckia
USDA Zones: 3-7
The bright Black-Eyed Susans have a dark brown or black center that resembles an eye, and they grow tall on strong stems.
39. Zinnia
Botanical Name: Zinnia elegans
USDA Zones: 2-11
These lovely Zinnias have round, full blooms that come in an array of colors and can be as small as a button or as big as a dinner plate.
Learn about Growing Zinnias in Pots here
40. Mexican Sunflower
atamy
Botanical Name: Tithonia rotundifolia
USDA Zones: 2-11
Another of the Best Flowers for Full Sun, the Mexican Sunflower has vibrant orange flowers that bloom in late summer and have a distinct scent that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.
41. Cosmos
Botanical Name: Cosmos bipinnatus
USDA Zones: 2-11
Cosmos flowers have feathery foliage and come in shades of pink, purple, and white, and they add a graceful touch to any garden. These are one of the best flowers for full sun window boxes.
42. Nasturtium
Botanical Name: Tropaeolum majus
USDA Zones: 8-11
Nasturtiums come in a range of warm colors and have rounded leaves and unique trumpet-shaped flowers that are edible.
Find out some fantastic benefits of growing Nasturtiums in your garden here
43. Mullein
Botanical Name: Verbascum
USDA Zones: 9-11
Mulleins have soft, fuzzy leaves and grow tall spires of yellow flowers that are loved by bees and other pollinators.
44. Mexican Heather
Botanical Name: Cuphea hyssopifolia
USDA Zones: 9-11
With delicate purple blooms and small, glossy leaves, the Mexican Heather is perfect for adding a pop of color to borders and container gardens.
Here is How to Grow a Mexican Herb Garden
45. Snapdragon
Botanical Name: Antirrhinum majus
USDA Zones: 7-10
These tall, showy flowers come in a variety of colors and are known for their unique “dragon mouth” shape, making them a popular choice for gardens and arrangements.
46. Dusty Miller
Botanical Name: Jacobaea maritima
USDA Zones: Zones 7-11
The silvery-gray foliage of this plant provides a unique texture and contrast to other flowers, making it a popular choice for borders and arrangements. While it won’t flower like other plants in the list, we added it because it can tolerate temperature up to 100 F (38 C).
Find some Heat Loving Combos for Containers here
47. Sneezeweed
Botanical Name: Helenium autumnale
USDA Zones: 3-8
Sneezeweed is an easy-to-grow perennial wildflower that loves the full sun. It has attractive daisy-like flowers of yellow, orange, and red that bloom in late summer and fall.
