This planter faces south and has no shade. What can I plant here that will bloom until frost but also survive the sun? Ideally it would also be able to miss a watering day in case I forget. For reference, I’m in zone 6a I believe.
by a_fapping_pretzel
45 Comments
Rosemary is pretty solid
Begonias, Black-eyed Susan for a couple
Weeds
Zonal Pelorgoniums are very drought resistant, and will only die off when you get a hard frost.
Geraniums
State flower.
Or serano peppers ….
Sage (salvia), all kinds of flowering varieties are available.
My mom lives in SW California, and her Cosmos do great in full sun, they seem to always have blooms and she waters them sparingly, or california poppies are pretty too!
Tomatos
Sweet potato
Lantana – indestructible
If you want a climbing vine that produces pretty red flowers, I would suggest cypress vine…..attracts pollinators, does not die off until the first frost….but beware cypress vine will grow again the next year and every year after wherever its seeds fall lol It is drought tolerant and loves full sun. To control it ya can just trim it back, you can even stick a trellis behind the pot for it to climb on. I have never seen any pest attack mine.
Succulents
I think bamboo looks really cool in places like this. I’ll take my downvotes now.
You will need to water thoroughly each morning. I’d suggest a mix of diamond frost euphoria, white begonias,and scaevola, all drought resistant and usually found at nurseries. Put down at least 2 inches of mulch. They should be happy. If you dig in the soil and it has turned to powder you will need to dig out 3 inches and replace it. The the mulch. Good luck.
The soil does not look good in there. Plus being by a brick wall will act like an oven. Even though you are 6a, you’ll need plants for hot and dry, especially if you may forget to water. I’d plant rosemary, lavender and Black Eyed Susan’s and maybe coneflower. These are all perennials. Any annuals would need more attention than you seem to be committed to maintaining with lots of water, fertilizer and dead heading.
Evening primrose
Picklepear Cactus?
Cactus. 🌵
Sun-patiens, lantana, scaevola, geraniums, vinca mix , wave petunias… really that soil looks pretty garbage, so id deal with that first. Maybe a couple bales of some pro mix and after planting, top soil with some osmocote so plants are getting fertilizer when it rains
Geraniums
sun plants I love
Sedum. Shit is almost unkillable in the sun. All that hurts it is too much water. It comes in many shapes and forms/colors. You can get garden/uprights or spreading ground covers or a mix.
Phlox. For this I would use the Garden Phlox. It blooms (white, purple, pinks) it loves sun. The creeping Phlox is also a sun plant and hard to kill, however, it mostly blooms once in spring and then is just a mass of green.
Coleus. The foliage makes up the lack of bloom time and keeps it colorful, just need to be watered.
Gaura plants are also lovely, they do well in dry soil, full sun and attract pollinators and usually come back the next year. They come in white and dark pink or at least the ones I am used to do. It is not toxic to humans, cats or dogs. It will also bush out as it gets bigger and make a pretty show.
“**Gaura is a perennial that returns annually in the correct hardiness zones (5-8)**. However, if your climate is too cold to last through the winter, grow it as an annual flower”
Mint lol
Cone flowers
mint
Mint, it spreads pretty well
Lavender
Mint. It’s the only way.
Mint
Marigolds, kinda boring though.
What is that? Dry concrete mix? Aloe will grow in that. And it will outlive you and your children’s children.
Petunias are pretty hardy usually & geraniums.
Hands down, Bougainvilleas. They flower throughout the year and need little watering.
New Guinea inpatients flower all summer and if you miss watering for a while they bounce right back
Mint.
Im sorry. Ill leave.
Before anything add a lot of potting soil to fill planter .
Mint
I think some horsetail reeds would look fabulous in that pot, very architectural and aesthetic. They are almost impossible to kill too.
Sedums. There are long flowering varieties that are tolerant of hot drought and also freezing cold weather. If things get to intensely dry or cold, they will just go dormant until conditions improve.
If I have a weird spot that I want to plant, I just fill it with them and let those little extremophiles do their thing.
Canna Lillie’s
Succulent garden
(Chick and Hen) and/or (Sedum)
Both won’t require any attention to keep alive and will thrive
Hens and chicks and sedum