Extend the Flowering Season with These Ten Heat-Lovers

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Sizzling temps in August and September can result in a pretty drab scene, garden-wise, if all you have are spring bloomers. If you’re looking to extend color and interest into late summer and fall, there’s good news: plenty of perennials and shrubs thrive in heat and bloom late in the season. Here are 10 of the best perennial options to keep your foothills garden vibrant well past July.

1. Sedum “Autumn Joy”
   This tried-and-true perennial thrives in sun and poor soil. Its pink-tinged blooms appear in late summer and deepen to copper in fall, attracting pollinators. Virtually maintenance-free and drought-tolerant.
2. Russian sage (Perovskia atriplicifolia)
   With its airy lavender-blue spikes and silvery foliage, Russian sage is a heat lover that performs best in full sun and dry conditions. Blooms from midsummer into fall.
3. Panicle hydrangea (Hydrangea paniculata)
   Unlike its mophead cousins, panicle hydrangeas love sun and are incredibly heat-tolerant. Varieties like ‘Limelight’ or ‘Vanilla Strawberry’ bloom late and age beautifully from white to pink to red.
4. Anise hyssop (Agastache spp.)
   A pollinator magnet, Agastache bursts into long-lasting spikes of purple, pink, or coral from mid- to late summer. Loves heat, resists deer, and smells deliciously of licorice.
5. Bluebeard (Caryopteris)
   This small shrub shines in late summer with blue or violet flowers that bees adore. It thrives in full sun and poor, dry soils, making it ideal for hot, neglected spots.
6. Japanese anemone (Anemone hupehensis)
   Elegant and graceful, Japanese anemones bloom from August into October. While they prefer afternoon shade in Zone 7/8, they’re surprisingly resilient and add a soft touch to the fall garden.
7. Coneflower (Echinacea)
   A North American prairie native, coneflowers are drought-tolerant sun lovers that draw oodles of bees, butterflies, and other beneficial insects. The standard bloom color is a deep pink, but new hybrids are introducing colors from white to red, orange, and green.
8. Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia)
   A classic for a reason, Rudbeckia offers golden daisy-like blooms that last for weeks. It’s tough, drought-tolerant, and unfazed by heat and humidity.
9. Salvia “Mystic Spires Blue”
   Many salvias bloom from mid- to late summer, this heat-loving variety has gorgeous, deep blue spikes. It tolerates dry conditions and is a favorite of hummingbirds and bees.
10. Crape Myrtle (Lagerstromia)
    In bush or tree form, crape myrtle is a show stopper with its panicles of crinkly flowers from mid-summer to fall. Blossoms come in white, pink, red, and purple, and the mottled trunks put on a lovely show, peeling like paper birches do.

Tips for Success in Zone 7/8 Heat:

• Choose full-sun locations for best flowering.
• Mulch to conserve moisture and regulate soil temperature.
• Water deeply but infrequently once plants are established.
• Avoid over-fertilizing, which can reduce blooms.

With these late-bloomers, you can enjoy vibrant color, buzzing pollinators, and garden interest well into fall—just when many other landscapes begin to fade.

Rachel Oppedahl is a UCCE Tuolumne County Master Gardener.