Summer is approaching and I will be talking about flowers that love sun heat. Living in the desert has its pros and cons. What I love about Yuma, Arizona is that we don’t get too cold, the weather here is a paradise for 6 months and sunny 360 days of the year. 5 days of the year we get a little overcast and if we are lucky a few inches of rain. That’s the pros.
The cons are it gets super hot sometimes up to 120 degrees F. (34 C.) in the summer most green dies or goes dormant and you can’t have a regular BBQ in the summer. For us, you have to stay inside or else you’ll melt your face! I’m just kidding but it is super hot.
Some people are not interested in being outside from 6 pm to midnight because it still feels like an oven. But I am an outdoorsy person so I don’t mind it. Yeah, call me crazy!
But I get to grow beautiful flowers and watch all the birds that come into your yard. The bees that love your flowers for nectar, and carpenter bees taking off with your rose leaves.
Whatever it is your yard is always busy.
Let’s Start With These Flowers
- Amaranth
Where to plant?
They can be grown in part shade or full sun. You choose, it’s your garden.
When to plant them?
Four weeks before the last frost date. Some may even take 7 weeks before the last frost date. They are warm-weather flowers so when the weather warms up they will start sprouting. When I wrote this post it was March 11, 2022. At this time it’s the perfect time to start sowing some seeds outside.
How do I grow them?
They aren’t picky about the soil they grow in. They are the perfect flower to grow in the summer. I have sandy soil and they thrive in it. They are one of my forever garden seed makers. They will continue to grow as long as you let them seed. This is from my experience in the desert southwest in my sandy soil.
How often do I water?
Water them as you would with any irrigations system. They don’t mind not having a drink for a couple of days during the summer. If they wilt, water them thoroughly and they will perk right up.
Is it edible?
Yes. You can saute them in butter, and garlic, and add other seasonings to them. Steam them, dip them in Hmong chili sauce, and eat. Oh just writing about them makes m salivate! If you’re a cook use your imagination.
2. Sunflower
Where to plant?
Another sun-loving flower where they drop their seeds is where they’ll grow. However, full sun is best for better yield if you want sunflower seeds. Another forever plant to grow for years to come.
When to plant them?
Sow them at the end of February or the beginning of March. It takes up to 180 days for giant sunflowers to mature. And they all vary even if they are from the same mother plant. They are a mystery.
How do I grow it?
Sow the seed about a foot apart in a full sun area. Depending on which sunflowers you want to grow. And how big your foot is. Just in case you want to plant some other vegetables in between them. Sunflowers are great to have beans growing up on and summer squash to lean up against.
How often do I water them?
Same as the amaranth either with your regular irrigation or your own drip system. Every other day for 15 minutes. When it hit close to 115+ degrees F. you might want to water them more often. However, never spray them from above the sunray would just cook them. Watering them from the roots is the best method.
Is it edible?
Yes, the seeds and petals are edible.
3. Lantana
Where to plant?
Anywhere you want long-lasting flowers to be seen. The hardiest and hard-to-kill flowers ever.
When to plant them?
From my experience anytime. However, they will grow slower in the winter and thrive in the summer. They also have a range of colors from yellow to lavender. Red is probably my favorite. But the pink surrounded by yellow is a mystery.
How do I grow it?
Transplant them or by taking some cuttings. They do really well either way. They aren’t picky about soil either. They can be grown in any soil any place you put them.
How often do I water them?
once a week. I have mine go for 3 weeks and it wasn’t happy but it didn’t die.
Is it edible?
NO… they are not.
4. Vinca
Where to plant?
Anywhere as well. They aren’t picky about where they grow.
When to plant them?
They are cold hardy (Yuma), have heat tolerance, and thrive in any condition. I would say springtime but I plant them at the end of winter and they seem to be doing really well. Beautiful colors too.
How do I grow it?
Transplant in part shade or sun. They really don’t mind. Any soil condition.
How often to water them?
Every three days. They can also go for a week without water.
Is it edible?
No. Toxic.
5. Four O’clock
Where to plant?
They grow well just by themselves or grow with other annuals. Choose an area with full sun for 6 to 8 hours.
When to plant them?
Seed them indoors in January and transplant them later in March. They do well being transplanted or from seeds. This one on top here was grown from seed.
How do I Plant them?
Sow them directly in the soil end of February. I find it that when I sow them directly in the soil they do better than transplanting them. You can experiment in your area to see what works best. They won’t germinate until it’s warm.
How often to water them?
They are drought tolerant and will do fine if you water them every 3 to 4 days.
Is it edible?
No.
6. White Mum (Chrysanthemums)
Where to plant them?
Plant them with your annuals.
When to plant them?
For Yuma plant them at the end of February or beginning of March since it’s a heat-loving flower it’ll give it time for the flower to adjust to the warming weather.
How do I grow them?
You can start them from seeds or transplant them. I transplanted mine. Other colors don’t seem to do well in full sun.
How often to water them?
Every three days in the winter and every other day in the summer. They will look like they are withering during the hot days but by evening they will perk right up as if nothing is wrong. Pouting little thing.
Is it edible?
If you know how to prepare them. Please ask your licensed herbalist or physician before consuming any plants that are not regularly eaten or used for human consumption.
7. Milkweeds (Asclepias)
I was lucky with this milkweed (Asclepias curassavica.) This was a volunteer that came up I didn’t plant this one.
Where to plant?
They do well in full sun or shade. Plant it in an area you want the butterflies to see.
When to plant them?
End of February after the last frost or the beginning of March you can seed them outside.
How do I grow them?
Starting seeds or transplanting them.
How often to water them?
Every two days.
Is it edible?
NO.
8. Hibiscus
Where to plant them?
You can plant them along the boundary of your property. Or you can plant them in your backyard along the side of your fence. They make great hedges and private walls.
When to plant them?
After the last frost from February to March.
How to plant them?
These beauties are a little tricky planting from seeds. I haven’t had much success with seeds.
How often to water them?
For the first transplant make sure to water them until they start to grow a few new shoots. When established watered them every other day.
Is it edible?
Yes, the petals are known to make tea with.
9. Pasion flower fruit vine.
Where to plant?
Find a spot where it can climb. I’ve seen people who let their passion vines grow wild on the ground but if you want to see the fruit without stepping on them better to have it on a trellis.
When to plant them?
You can start these from seeds indoors and transplant them in March.
How do I grow them?
From seeds or directly sow them into the ground in mid-February. By March you should see little sproutlings.
How often to water them?
Every other day.
Is it edible?
Yes.
10. Roselle hibiscus
Where to plant them?
Good organic ground where they can thrive in full sun.
When to grow them?
February is a good time to sow them.
How to Plant them?
Sow them directly in the soil.
How often to water them?
Every other day.
Is it edible?
Yes. It is known for tea.
Time To Grow Some Flowers For Summer
There are also many other flowers that will grow as well. Yuma heat is terrible but with some TLC you can grow almost all the flowers you see around other States.
These are some more heat-loving plants you can try.
Sea lavender, salvia, lattice, hollyhocks, pregnant onion, rose of Sharon, crinum, chives, poppy, desert marigold, climbing rose, day lily, roses, Suriname spinach, Malabar spinach, heartleaf hibiscus, and canna lily.
The End Result
Endless possibility. Plan ahead how you want your flower garden to look. I always start with tall flowers and vines in the back of the field and then work my way out to shorter or ground cover flowers.
Use different color varieties and you’ll have a rainbow of summer flowers, yes, even in Yuma.
Thank you for reading my blog. I really appreciated your time as yours are as valuable as mine. If you have any comments, questions, or like to educate me, please feel free to do so. I love learning new things.
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Yuma, AZ tip:
Because our desert is so hot and the heat feels like an oven in the summer best to water it every day from the roots at 8 pm or early morning at 6 am. In between those times if you water them it will be steamed by the sun and eventually, they will end up being cooked.
This is all informational purposes and should not attempt to consume anything we mention unless prescribed by a licensed herbalist or botanist.
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