47 Best Flowers for Full Sun | Heat Tolerant Flowers for Containers

Here’s an all-inclusive list of the Best Flowers for Full Sun that you can grow in your garden for an erratic display of colors!

Looking for flowers that flourish in heat waves and can even tolerate the temperature range of 100 F (38 C)? Well, here they are—the Best Flowers for Full Sun, and some of these flowers are also very drought tolerant.

Best Flowers for Full Sun

1. Pentas

Botanical Name: Pentas lanceolata

USDA Zones: 8-11

Beautiful Pentas attract pollinators like bees, hummingbirds, and sunbirds due to the nectar. This is a tough, heat-tolerant plant that you can grow in containers.

2. Lantana

Botanical Name: Lantana camara

USDA Zones: 8-11

Lantana is a common tropical and arid climate flower that blooms year-round in bright colors like red, yellow, orange, white, or pink and thrives in neglect and heat.

Check out the best types of lantana 

3. Plumbago

Botanical Name: Plumbago auriculata

USDA Zones: 8-12

Plumbago is a beautiful vine-like African native shrub that thrives with minimal care in the subtropical or tropical heat. Its sky-blue flowers appear almost year-long in the right climate.

4. Moonflower

Botanical Name: Ipomoea alba

USDA Zones: 8-12

The spectacular display of large and fragrant pure white flowers resembles morning glory and opens in the evening. It flowers year-round in subtropics, but if you live in a temperate region, grow it annually as it is one of the best annual flowers for full sun.

5. Hibiscus

Botanical Name: Hibiscus

USDA Zones: 9-11

Hibiscus is low maintenance, can be grown in pots easily, and is available in myriads of colors and for both temperate and warm climates!

6. Moss Rose

Botanical Name: Portulaca grandiflora

USDA Zones: 2 to 11 (as an annual)

With amazing needle-like foliage and bright and colorful small flowers, Portulaca plants are worth a place in your container garden, hanging baskets, or window boxes, whether you live in the tropics or the temperate zone!

7. Blanket Flower

Botanical Name: Gaillardia

USDA Zones: 7-11

Also known as the blanket flower, gaillardia is a heat-resistant and drought-tolerant plant in the sunflower family. The blooms look attractive and become excellent cut flowers.

8. King’s Mantle

Botanical Name: Thunbergia erecta

USDA Zones: 9-11

Also called bush clock vine, it is a shrub that is native to Africa. This prolific year-round bloomer comes in shades of violet, purple, and yellow and is considered one of the best flowering bushes for full sun.

9. Mandevilla

Botanical Name: Mandevilla sanderi

USDA Zones: 6-12

Grow Mandevilla as an annual in cooler climates. It is a fast-growing and heat-resistant tropical climber that blooms heavily. The flowers are pink, white, or red in color.

10. Bottlebrush

Botanical Name: Callistemon

USDA Zones: 8-11

With its brush-like puffy flowers that appear throughout the year, the bottlebrush is, without a doubt, one of the best flowering shrubs for full sun. If grown in a cooler zone, bring the bottlebrush plant indoors before the first frost to overwinter it.

11. Marigold

Botanical Name: Tagetes

USDA Zones: 2-11 (as an annual)

Marigolds love the sun and heat, so keep them in a spot that receives full sun, and they’ll bloom heavily. With the choices available, you can grow marigolds either as annual or perennial. It is one of the best perennial flowers for full sun.

Check out types of marigolds 

12. Angelonia

Botanical Name: Angelonia angustifolia

USDA Zones: 9-11

Due to the shape of the flowers, it is often called a summer snapdragon and is one of the best flowering plants for full sun. This lovely heat-resistant plant is usually grown as an annual, and the flowers are available in blue, green, orange, pink, red, white, and yellow colors.

13. Canna Lily

Botanical Name: Canna indica

USDA Zones: 7-11

Cannas require warmth, full sun, and moist soil to thrive. Depending on the variety, cannas can grow between 1 to 8 feet tall. It comes in shades of red, orange, and yellow.

14. Desert Rose

Botanical Name: Adenium obesum

USDA Zones: 9-12

You can also grow adenium for quick bonsai; it can be planted outside in frost-free zones. Once established, this magnificent plant covers itself with beautiful tubular flowers. In temperate zones, you can grow adenium as a houseplant.

15. Cock’s Comb

Botanical Name: Celosia argentea

USDA Zones: 7-11

Celosias are generally grown as annuals, but they are one of the best flowers for full sun. Growing celosia in containers is a great way to have this unusual flower in your patio or balcony garden.

16. Petunia

Botanical Name: Petunia × atkinsiana

USDA Zones: 5-10

Petunias love sun and heat; they are one the most beautiful and popular annual flowers. However, this frost-tender plant is perennial in warmer climates.

17. Texas Bluebonnets

Botanical Name: Lupinus texensis

USDA Zones: 4-9

Bluebonnets are the state flower of Texas, and they are one of the best flowers for full sun. You can grow them in your container garden too.

18. Princess Flower

Botanical Name: Tibouchina urvilleana

USDA Zones: 9-11

‘Princess Flower’ can be grown as a perennial or an annual. It looks beautiful with silver and downy flower buds that open in deep purple blossoms atop contrasting velvety green foliage.

19. Salvia

Botanical Name: Salvia

USDA Zones: 9-11

The salvia genus has both annual and perennial species, but annuals are more suitable for container gardening. It comes in deep purple, blue, orange, and red blooms.

20. Ground Orchids

Botanical Name: Spathoglottis plicata

USDA Zones: 10-12

Ground orchid offers colorful clusters of blooms ranging from deep pink to yellow on arching foliage – they can be grown as annuals.

Find some Unique Orchids here

21. Diamond Frost Euphorbia

Botanical Name: Euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’

USDA Zones: 10-12

It grows best in the sun but also flowers in partial shade. This tender perennial is planted as an annual in most regions. It has a mounding habit and upright stems and produces white blooms all season long.

22. Bolivian Begonia

Botanical Name: Begonia boliviensis

USDA Zones: 8-11

Bronze foliage species are best for the full sun. The unique serrated foliage and bright, fiery red flowers look great in containers and hanging baskets.

Here is our Elatior Begonia Care 

23. Million Bells

Botanical Name: Calibrachoa

USDA Zones: 5-11

Million Bells can be grown as an annual in all zones. It grows best in full sun to part shade in moist, rich, well-draining soil. The plant flowers continuously in a rainbow of shades.

24. Bidens

Botanical Name: Bidens

USDA Zones: 6-11

The stunning red and gold blooms of ‘Beedance Painted Red‘ grab attention in containers.  ‘Suntory Lobelia Trailing White‘ and ‘Surfinia Deep Red‘ are also great picks!

25. SunPatiens

Botanical Name: Sunpatiens

USDA Zones: 9-12

Sunpatiens grow very well in containers, even in full sun and partial shade as well. You can grow bright orange flowers of vigorous Clear Orange SunPatiens for natural sunshine in your outdoor spaces.

26. Sweet Alyssum

Botanical Name: Lobularia maritima

USDA Zones: 4-10

‘Snow Princess’ is a heat and sun-tolerant variety and blooms non-stop all summer long. You can grow it as a sun-tolerant plant in containers.

27. Sunflower

Botanical Name: Helianthus annuus

Sunflowers thrive best in places with full sun and flowers during summer or early fall. Varieties like Lemon Queen and Solsation Flame are the best choice for containers.

28. Globe Amaranth

Botanical Name: Gomphrena globosa

USDA Zones: 2-11

Butterflies love the lollipop-like flowers of Gomphrena, which come in a range of shades from purple to pink to red.

29. Spider Flower

Botanical Name: Cleome spinosa

USDA Zones: 8-11

Senorita Rosalita Cleome is a thornless version and looks great in containers. This beautiful annual is easy to grow in a warm location and under full sun.

30. Rose

Botanical Name: Rosa

USDA Zones: 3-11

Roses do well in containers and can be grown easily on patios, decks, balconies, and entranceways. The plant prefers 5-6 hours of full sun daily with good air circulation.

Have a look at the most important things to consider while growing roses 

31. Bougainvillea

Botanical Name: Bougainvillea

USDA Zones: 9-12

Bougainvillea flowers across the year, and you can grow them in pots easily. Place the container where it receives at least 5-6 hours of direct sunlight and water when the soil is dry.

32. Yellow Bell Flower

Botanical Name: Tecoma

USDA Zones: 7-11

Tecoma grows best in warm, frost-free climates, under full sunlight. The tubular, pink, red-orange and yellow blooms look beautiful as a climbing vine or as a border plant in containers.

33. Bleeding Heart Vine

Botanical Name: Clerodendrum thomsoniae

USDA Zones: 9-12

The plant requires direct sun to flower well. It flowers during spring and summer and produces clusters of star-shaped flowers.

34. Oleander

Botanical Name: Nerium Oleander

USDA Zones: 8b-12

This tough ornamental shrub produces large clusters of pink, red, yellow, or white, single or double bloom all year round.

35. Arabian Jasmine

Botanical Name: Jasminum sambac

USDA Zones: 9-11

Arabian Jasmine, also the state flower of the Philippines, is loved for its really fragrant white blossoms that fade to pink with age and contrasting glossy, deep green oval foliage. The flowers occur all summer long and bloom year-round in warm climates.

36. Vinca

Botanical Name: Catharanthus roseus

USDA Zones: 9-12

Also known as Madagascar Periwinkle, this is undoubtedly one of the most productive bloomers on this list. It tolerates heat and scorching summer sun and doesn’t mind if you miss watering it occasionally.

37. Gazania

Botanical Name: Gazania rigens

USDA Zones: 9-11

These cheerful Gazanias have big, bold petals that come in a range of bright colors with contrasting stripes and markings, making them one of the Best Flowers for Full Sun.

38. Black-Eyed Susan

Botanical Name: Rudbeckia

USDA Zones: 3-7

The bright Black-Eyed Susans have a dark brown or black center that resembles an eye, and they grow tall on strong stems.

39. Zinnia

Botanical Name: Zinnia elegans

USDA Zones: 2-11

These lovely Zinnias have round, full blooms that come in an array of colors and can be as small as a button or as big as a dinner plate.

40. Mexican Sunflower

Botanical Name: Tithonia rotundifolia

USDA Zones: 2-11

Another of the Best Flowers for Full Sun, the Mexican Sunflower has vibrant orange flowers that bloom in late summer and have a distinct scent that attracts butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden.

41. Cosmos

Botanical Name: Cosmos bipinnatus

USDA Zones: 2-11

Cosmos flowers have feathery foliage and come in shades of pink, purple, and white, and they add a graceful touch to any garden. These are one of the best flowers for full sun window boxes.

42. Nasturtium

Botanical Name: Tropaeolum majus

USDA Zones: 8-11

Nasturtiums come in a range of warm colors and have rounded leaves and unique trumpet-shaped flowers that are edible.

Find out benefits of growing Nasturtiums in your garden 

43. Mullein

Botanical Name: Verbascum

USDA Zones: 9-11

Mulleins have soft, fuzzy leaves and grow tall spires of yellow flowers that are loved by bees and other pollinators.

44. Mexican Heather

Botanical Name: Cuphea hyssopifolia

USDA Zones: 9-11

With delicate purple blooms and small, glossy leaves, the Mexican Heather is perfect for adding a pop of color to borders and container gardens.

45. Snapdragon

Botanical Name: Antirrhinum majus

USDA Zones: 7-10

These tall, showy flowers come in a variety of colors and are known for their unique “dragon mouth” shape, making them a popular choice for gardens and arrangements.

46. Dusty Miller

Botanical Name: Jacobaea maritima

USDA Zones: Zones 7-11

The silvery-gray foliage of this plant provides a unique texture and contrast to other flowers, making it a popular choice for borders and arrangements. While it won’t flower like other plants on the list, we added it because it can tolerate temperatures up to 100 F (38 C).

47. Sneezeweed

Botanical Name: Helenium autumnale

USDA Zones: 3-8

Sneezeweed is an easy-to-grow perennial wildflower that loves the full sun. It has attractive daisy-like flowers of yellow, orange, and red that bloom in late summer and fall.

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