38 Heat-Tolerant Container Garden Ideas For Sweltering Summers

Build a Bigger Box

The bigger your potting vessel, the more moisture it is able to hold onto which help the plants stay hydrated longer between waterings. Keeping the soil moist to the touch is key to keeping your plants happy in the heat. Here, landscape designer Carmen Johnston filled the trough-style container with a ‘Kimberly Queen’ trailing fern in the middle for height and added smaller caladiums and ivy around it for more color and texture.

Appreciate Ever-Blooming Lantana

You'd never guess that a plant so pretty would be so hardy. But lantana can stand up to the sunniest, hottest, driest conditions with ease. Plus, its multi-colored flowers bloom prolifically until the first frost—a real draw for butterflies. Plant in well-draining soil and water regularly at first to get the roots established. Then leave it be, except to water once a week during dry spells. Many varieties are perennial in USDA Zones 8 and up.

Grow A Patch Of Mint

Mint is a great addition to a container garden, which will hold its aggressive, spreading nature in check. Not only does mint smell divine, but it is also a tough plant that thrives in full sun or partial shade (protection from the afternoon sun is beneficial in hotter climates). Mint prefers moist soil and should be watered consistently. Set some near your patio so you can pick sprigs for summertime cocktails.

Combine Sun-Loving Annuals

This resilient trio of containers makes the most of heat-tolerant plants like geraniums, calibrachoas, and mecardonias. Choosing tough plants with gorgeous, bright blooms brings the best of both worlds to your container—they're easy to care for and visually captivating. Water regularly and deadhead faded flowers for nonstop blooming all season long. These plants are grown as annuals in most climates, but are winter-hardy in USDA Zones 10 and 11.

Stick With Classic Boxwood

Boxwoods are a sturdy evergreen that can be planted in containers and sheared to your desired shape, adding a touch of class to any garden. Combine them with heat-loving annuals like the white flowering vinca pictured here for seasonal color. Boxwoods will grow in full sun, but benefit from afternoon shade in hotter climates. Plant in well-draining soil and water weekly during hot, dry weather.

Plant Fascinating Foliage

Flowers aren't required to create a captivating summer container garden. Here, the swordlike foliage of cast iron plant contrasts with frilly apple-green coleus, blood-red caladiums, airy asparagus fern, and variegated ivy. All of these plants do well in full or part shade—and protection from the sun's rays means less watering is required to keep the soil slightly damp.

Set Palms At The Front Door

We used Chinese fan palms for bold architectural interest and added color with scarlet bromeliads and gold-variegated acuba and ivy. For those who prefer a native species, silver saw palmetto (Serenoa repens 'Cinerea') is another great heat-tolerant option for containers. Both can grow in full sun or part shade, while bromeliads prefer dappled light or full shade. These palms are officially hardy in USDA Zones 8 and warmer, though some have been known to survive in cooler climates. You can bring these plants indoors in winter to ensure their survival.

Frame Windows With Vines

Frame an architectural feature of your home, like this window, with pots of tropical mandevilla vine. Mandevilla is an ideal choice for color in even a "this-is-the-hottest-summer-ever" climate. It prefers full sun and will thank you by blooming profusely until the weather cools in fall. Plant in well-draining soil and water when dry. Give it a support to grow on—a bit of wire can do the trick. Perennial in USDA Zones 10 and 11.

Add A Pop Of Gorgeous Geraniums

Heat up your container by adding glowing red geraniums, popular bedding flowers that also come with pink or white blooms, and lobed or scalloped leaves. Geraniums (Pelargonium spp.) can survive periodic dryness but will bloom best if watered when dry. These plants flower generously in full sun but set them somewhere with afternoon shade during extreme heat.

Use Sun-Loving SunPatiens

An ideal choice for a humid, sweltering clime, this cheery planter combines 'Tropical Salmon' SunPatiens, foxtail asparagus fern, and 'Neon' pothos. It's a cheery dose of bright hues for hot days and warm nights. SunPatiens can grow in sun or shade, while pothos prefers full or part shade. Water these plants regularly.

Pair Elegant Topiaries

These planters showcase waxleaf privet (Ligustrum japonicum) topiaries that add instant elegance to the entry. Creeping Jenny and a selection of peachy annual flowers add adornment to the base. Waxleaf privet can grow in full or part sun and is perennial in USDA Zones 7–11.

Go Tropical

Include heat-loving plants that hail from far and wide to create a globe-trotting garden. Here a 'Vogue Audrey' mandevilla takes center stage among 'Baby Tut' dwarf papyrus, a South Asian elephant ear plant, and a South American sweet potato vine 'Blackie.' All of these plants thrive in full sun; papyrus prefers moist soil.

Create Cottage Charm

This exuberant mix is reminiscent of wild meadows and cottage gardens. A rustic container planting combines lantana, impatiens, and coleus with maroon Joseph's coat and creeping Jenny in a charming arrangement that will last all season. This combination will do well in full or part sun.

Pack In Bright-Blooming Zinnias

It wouldn't be summer without the cheery blooms of zinnias. These butterfly magnets come in almost every color of the rainbow, flower from late spring until frost, and depending on the variety, grow from a few inches to several feet tall. Zinnias grow best in full sun and if watered when dry. Cut the long stems for a summery bouquet—the plants will branch and produce more flowers.

Focus on Ferns

The base of this summer-loving pot is a ‘Kimberly Queen’ fern with trailing kangaroo paw ferns, light variegated ivy, ‘Florida Moonlight’ caladiums, and maidenhair ferns tucked around it. “Be sure to fertilize,” advises garden expert Carmen Johnston. In the sweltering heat, she feeds her plants about every four to six weeks to keep them happy. “I love to use 1 tablespoon of Epsom salts mixed with 1 gallon of water to help them stay healthy, green, and lush,” she notes.

Plant A Succulent Basket

Fill a hanging basket with succulents for a drought-tolerant container that can last throughout summer and then be brought indoors for winter if you don't live in a frost-free area. The rosettes of Echeveria are every bit as ornamental as flowers, while trailing succulents like string of beads or sedum can be used to spill out of the basket. Echeveria can take full or part sun, while other succulents typically grown as houseplants may prefer filtered sun or bright shade.

Grow Succulents In Gravel

You can also mix and match your favorite succulents in a terracotta pot filled with a bed of gravel for an easy, super tough, well-drained container garden. These succulents will enjoy basking in the sun while you do.

Go Big And Bold

Plant impatiens after all danger of frost has passed in spring and it will thrive throughout the months of heat and humidity. Here, the homeowner chose to plant impatiens by the poolside in large containers, giving it room to take off and produce large masses of colorful blooms. With the exception of SunPatiens, all impatiens appreciate part shade. Water regularly to keep the flower show going.

Use Sensational Cycads

These sturdy urns are planted with sago palm (Cycas revoluta), a sensational container plant with dramatic foliage and a Jurassic feel. This slow-growing "palm" is actually a prehistoric cycad that is hardy in USDA Zones 9 and warmer. Sago palm doesn't like wet feet, so water when the container is mostly dry. It can grow in full sun or part shade.

Buy A Brood Of Hens And Chicks

Buy a brood of hens and chicks (Sempervivum) and plant them for a container that couldn't be easier to maintain. Note that this pot is lifted off the ground for good drainage. These succulents do best when planted in cactus potting mix or gritty soil in full sun or light shade, where they will produce offshoots and keep your brood growing. Even better, hens and chicks are winter hardy in USDA Zones 3–8.

Use Beachy Colors In Planters

In this container, we combined 'Maui Gold' elephant's ear, orange SunPatiens, citronella plant, Persian shield, and angel vine for a tropically inspired planter in a palette of vibrant hues. Place in full sun or part shade, water regularly, and dream about your next beach vacation.

Plant A Summer Herb Garden

Make your containers do double duty by planting sun-loving herbs like basil and rosemary. For a tall thriller plant, try citrus-scented lemongrass. These plants will add a savory perfume to the garden and spruce up a weeknight dinner, too. Woody plants like rosemary tend to be drought-tolerant, while more tender herbs like basil do best with regular watering.

Embrace Southwestern Style

This Southwest-inspired container includes heat-resistant succulents in a variety of textures, shapes, and colors for an eye-catching combination. Variegated yucca, the red blooms of kalanchoe, and a trailing sedum all thrive in full sun with minimal watering.

Create A Sunny Combo

The fiery hues of coleus combined with a trailing, sunny yellow lantana will cheer you up when it's as hot as blue blazes outside. Set on a sunny stoop and water when the soil dries. The lantana's blooms will attract bees, birds, and butterflies until first frost, while the coleus also will feed pollinators if you allow it to bloom in the fall.

Fill Nooks And Crannies In Strawberry Pots

Take advantage of life's tenacious ability to thrive in every available crevice for a creative succulent garden. Keep things interesting by arranging containers in different sizes and styles, like this old-fashioned strawberry pot and giant clam shell. Plant with a rowdy mix of succulents in different sizes, shapes, colors, and textures for a stunning effect.

Perfect Plants For The Heat Of Summer

Take It Easy With Desert Dwellers

If you really can't be bothered with watering, agave is the way to go. The succulent foliage of the "century plant" can be variegated, green, blue, or silver, sometimes hairy, and often rimmed with spikes. Plant in gritty soil in shallow, unglazed terracotta planters for good drainage. Some agave plants are winter hardy to USDA Zone 7 but must be protected from excessive moisture to survive until the next blazing hot summer.

Create Cactus Accents

Add an assortment of cacti into your arrangement for a drought-tolerant accent. If they can thrive in desert climates, surely they can survive in your yard—at least when planted in sharply draining soil in full sun. Bring them indoors for the winter and place in a sunny window.

Try Rainforest Plants

This wall-hanging container garden brings a taste of the tropics to the porch. On the far left, we filled the planter with the Mexican shrimp plant and 'Aquamarine' pilea, which hails from the rainforests of South America, along with pteris fern, selaginella, sword fern, and arrowhead vine.

The middle container features asparagus fern, 'Triostar' stromanthe, and neon pothos. The latter two are tropical plants, while the first is winter hardy in USDA Zones 9 and warmer. In the rightmost container garden, we used the tropical neon pothos, humidity-loving arrowhead vine, and selaginella, which is hardy in most of the South. This trio can grow in part sun or bright shade.

Stay Cool With Blue And White

This summery combination is worthy of a wedding in June. The containers were planted with Australian, heat-loving white fan flower (Scaveola). South African blue plumbagos add a burst of color and thrive in the heat, as do the flapjack plants. Then we added the bluish rosettes of 'Lucita' Echeverias, making certain to use a container with good drainage.

Mix Foliage In Modern Containers

This container garden stands tall and proud, making certain we take notice of even the most diminutive plants. The planters are filled with string of pearls, purple Calibrachoa (known as million bells), blue ageratum, ivy, and other fine-textured plants for a pretty display. Blue ageratum is heat-tolerant but can be susceptible to powdery mildew in high humidity. Spacing plants for good circulation can help.

Plant Window Boxes With Lush Greenery

Add lushness to your window box planter with this combination of holly fern, 'Aaron' caladium, 'Key Lime Pie' heuchera (coral bells), 'White Nancy' dead nettle, and a light pink vinca. All will grow in part sun and are winter hardy around the South (with the exception of caladiums, which are perennial in USDA Zones 9–11).

Pot Up Cheery Marigolds

A cheerful pot of sunny yellow or bright orange marigolds always brings a smile to our faces. Plus, these dependable bloomers love the heat, rarely wilt, and flower for months until the first frost. Marigolds prefer full sun and well-drained soil. Deadhead the plants to encourage abundant flowers.

Plant Dragon Wings

Red flower clusters dangle from dragon wing begonia in this summer-proof pot. Dragon wings are heat-tolerant, vigorous growers thanks to their glossy leaves, but do best in partial sun or shade. They love humidity, can climb to a couple of feet tall over the course of a summer, and will bloom non-stop until fall.

Use Colorful Calibrachoa

With so many colorful varieties, you can easily find flowers to coordinate with a container of calibrachoa, or million bells. Million bells loves heat and sunshine and can even stand up to dry soil, making it a great selection for the South.

Embrace Summer With Hibiscus

Every patio needs a pot of hardy hibiscus in summer. Often grown in topiary form, hibiscus' massive blooms and hot colors set a tropical tone all summer long. Hibiscus thrives in heat and humidity, but must be watered regularly to keep the soil moist.

Fill Baskets With Portulaca

Portulaca flowers may look delicate, but those succulent stems mean this plant can hold its own on hot, dry days. Also known as moss rose, portulaca prefers fast-draining or sandy soil, light watering, and plenty of sunshine. Use it as a "spiller" plant in containers and hanging baskets or plant it along the edges of pathways.

Plant A Vegetable Patch

Containers are a great way to grow summer vegetables, especially if you don't have good soil or space in the garden. Garden centers sell many patio, bush, and dwarf versions of summer vegetables (peppers and eggplants are exceptionally heat-tolerant). Provide extra space for roots to grow and keep the soil evenly moist.