What are the best flowers for direct sunlight and high heat?

I live in Texas and it gets in the 100's sometimes. I have looked at Lowes and gotten flowers that said "direct sunlight" but they always end up dying, I guess from the extreme heat. Anyone have any ideas on what I can plant this spring?





I also water everyday, and put miracle grow on them when I plant them. Are there any other tips or tricks to keeping annuals alive?

What are the best flowers for direct sunlight and high heat?
There are many drought tolerant annuals that are just for your region....these are plants that can take the heat and thrive in intense heat.


Here are some heat lovers: Love-lies- bleeding (Amaranthus), Swan River daisy (Brachycome),moss roses, dusty Miller, snow-on-the-mountain, gazania, globe amaranth (Gomphrena), phlox, portulaca, rudbeckia, creeping zinnia (Sanvitalia), marigolds, Mexican sunflower (Tithonia), and verbena.





Also another thing to try in the middle of your planters is ornamental grass. It's a great look and the grass is so easy to keep alive all summer even in hot conditions.





One more idea ... Terra-sorb - these are water crystals that protect your plants from drought .You can mix them into your potting soil before you plant and they will give your potters a boost all summer .


They are non-toxic crystals absorb up to 200 times their weight in water, then release it gradually as plants need it. You can buy them in bags at your local greenhouse for about $3 or $4. They do work ....we used them at greenhouse I worked at. We used the crystals for our cement planters that were on side of paved roads filled with annuals. Worked great and kept annuals alive all summer.





Here are a couple more websites that may help you:


http://extension.missouri.edu/extensioni...


http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/count...


http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/count...


http://americangardens.suite101.com/arti...





Good luck!
Reply:sunflowers---you can get tall and short varieties really tough I also grow them in pots.
Reply:Vinca here in south ga, very tolerant of heat and drought and also mexican heather.
Reply:Lantana is great and I had it in Florida and in Ohio....it gets 'sticklike' in Fla. but a green stem in Ohio! But what beautiful colors and such tiny little clumps of flowers.
Reply:We live in East Texas, when you say heat and sunshine, I think vincas and marigolds. We have them every year at our house.





You need to wait until it gets really warm to set out vincas. If you put them out too soon, they are susceptible to a virus.





Marigolds, come is several varieties some are rather short but most tend to be tall.





Wave petunias also do well.





Watering every day may be a bit too much. You really should wait a week or so before applying any fertilizer. A slow release like Osmocote is better than some other fertilizers.
Reply:yarrow, lantana,phlox,hibiscus,coneflower,columb... list is endless, and the birds and butterflys are a bonus.
Reply:Marigolds and vincas are good in full sun. The most important thing is to put the "Soil Moist" water crystals in the soil when you plant the flowers. That helps hold water in the soil in the hot, sunny summer days. I live in Kansas and water crystals make a huge difference in whether the plants live or die. Good luck.
Reply:I also found a hybrid version of Impatiens works well, its called a "Sun-Patien" (I'm sure I spelled it wrong) anyway, I put it out and it did real well, as long as I kept it watered daily, and dead-headed the old buds off. I also trimmed it a couple of times and it grew back out nicely.
Reply:Petunias and vinca hold up well and also lavendar