Gardening Container Gardens Container Plans & Ideas 15 Container Garden Plants That Breeze Through Summer's Heat These pretty plants still look fresh and colorful through even the hottest weather. By Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln Viveka Neveln is the Garden Editor at BHG and a degreed horticulturist with broad gardening expertise earned over 3+ decades of practice and study. She has more than 20 years of experience writing and editing for both print and digital media. Learn about BHG's Editorial Process Updated on January 24, 2023 Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Reviewed by Sylvia Duax Sylvia Duax has over 15 years of experience as a professional Horticulturist with expertise in: sustainable garden maintenance techniques; Southeastern U.S., especially in the mid-Atlantic regional gardening; native plants; wildlife gardening; small space, urban and container gardening and community engagement. Learn about BHG's Gardening Review Board Trending Videos Close this video player Photo: BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova When the hottest days of summer hit, many container garden plants slow down on making flowers and fresh foliage even if you keep up with watering. Beat the heat by filling your containers with these colorful plants that thrive as temperatures rise. Most are from warm places around the world, so are often grown as annuals in colder areas. However, you can overwinter many of them indoors and bring them back outdoors when warm weather returns. 01 of 15 Angel's Trumpet Christopher Hirsheimer In full bloom, a good-size angel's trumpet will stop you in your tracks. The hanging flowers are indeed trumpet-shaped and can reach more than 1 foot long, depending on variety. The blooms also release a pleasant, sweet fragrance after sunset. If you have pets or children, just be sure to keep these plants out of reach, because all parts are poisonous if ingested. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 6 feet or more Zones: 7-11 02 of 15 Agave David McDonald Though it's not grown for blooms, agave is a stunning plant that lends an architectural flair to any container. There are striped and solid varieties of agave in different shades of green and blue. Most varieties have extremely sharp leaf tips, so if you have small kids or pets, you might want to cut the points off or cover them to make them less likely to cause injury. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: To 4 feet or more, depending on variety Zones: 5-11 03 of 15 Angelonia David Speer This adaptable flower is sometimes called summer snapdragon. Its spikes of purple, white, or pink flowers appear all summer long, no matter how high the mercury rises. Some varieties of angelonia have larger blooms, while dwarf varieties are the perfect size for container gardens. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet tall or more Zones: 9-11 04 of 15 Bamboo Erica George Dines Although it can be a fast-spreading menace when grown in the ground, bamboo is a dramatic specimen plant when grown in a large container (where it can't escape). It makes a perfect, fast-growing screen for privacy. When planting bamboo, make the planting hole twice as wide as the root ball; if you're planting in a container, make sure it's big enough! Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 20 feet or more Zones: 6-10 05 of 15 Banana Erica George Dines Photography With its huge leaves, banana has big presence in the landscape. Place the plant in the center of a garden bed, or at the back of a garden against a fence for tropical height. While most are plain green, look for types with a mottling of dark red or white edges for extra interest. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: From 1 to 15 feet, depending on type Zones: 9-10 06 of 15 Canna David McDonald Perfect for creating a lush, tropical look, canna offers large leaves (variegated in many varieties) and glowing flowers in shades of red, orange, yellow, and pink. These plants can often be found close to the water, so they need moist soil to be happy in a garden. You can also overwinter cannas indoors, then bring them outside the next spring. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in consistently moist soil Size: From 1 foot to 15 feet, depending on type Zones: 7-10 07 of 15 Lantana Justin Hancock Loved by butterflies, lantana produces multicolored flowers in festive shades of red, orange, yellow, pink, and white. Certain varieties have blooms that create an ombre effect, lightening or darkening from the outside in. Some varieties even have variegated foliage that add extra color to your garden even when they're not in bloom. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet or more Zones: 8-11 08 of 15 Mandevilla Bob Stefko One of the most regal flowering vines, mandevilla produces large trumpet-shape blooms in shades of red, white, and pink. It's a fast-growing climber that blooms profusely with clusters of flowers along the vine. Keep in mind that this plant is poisonous if ingested. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: Climbs to 10 feet or more Zones: 10-11 09 of 15 Passionflower Kim Cornelison One of the most beautiful climbing vines, passionflower has intricate flowers in rich shades of almost every color of the rainbow. Make sure they have a sturdy lattice or a trellis to climb. This is another butterfly favorite! Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: Climbs to 10 feet or more Zones: 6-10 10 of 15 Pentas BHG / Evgeniya Vlasova Pentas produces clusters of beautiful starry red, white, or pink flowers. No matter how hot it gets, the flowers keep on coming all summer long. (And so do the butterflies that love them!) Their growth habit is neat and compact. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: To 2 feet or more Zones: 10-11 11 of 15 Plumbago Bill Stites The beautiful, sky-blue flowers of plumbago are known for attracting butterflies. This shrubby vine is a quick grower and flowers prolifically all summer long. While it can take the heat, it's also cold-hardy and can be used as a beautiful flowering groundcover. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: Climbs to 10 feet or more Zones: 5-9 12 of 15 Blue Salvia Lynn Karlin A wonderful, heat-and-drought-tolerant plant with purple-blue flowers, blue salvia also attracts pollinators. These salvias don't do well in cool weather, so be sure to plant them after any chance of frost has passed. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet or more Zones: 7-10 13 of 15 Sky Vine Dean Schoeppner This fast-growing vine smothers itself with large sky-blue flowers throughout the summer. It's a favorite of butterflies; adults drink the nectar and some species will eat the foliage. In areas where it doesn't freeze, sky vine is potentially invasive, so be careful if planting in warm climate. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in moist, well-drained soil Size: Climbs to 15 feet or more Zones: 10-11 14 of 15 Blue Potato Bush Edward Gohlich A beautiful shrub, blue potato bush produces clusters of dark violet-blue flowers. This easy-growing plant is often sold on a standard form, meaning trained as a patio tree. You can use this shrub as a living screen for backyard privacy. However, it's best to keep it away from pets and small children because it likely contains toxic chemicals. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: To 5 feet or more Zones: 9-11 15 of 15 Tropical Milkweed Marty Baldwin It's hard to decide what's prettier: the brilliant red, yellow, and orange tropical milkweed flowers or the scores of butterflies they attract. Test Garden Tip: Monarch caterpillars will eat the foliage of this plant (so don't worry if you spot a few holes in the leaves). Also, be careful when handling this plant, because the milky sap can irritate skin. Light: Full sun Water: Plant in well-drained soil Size: To 3 feet or more Zones: 10-11 Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit