Brian Minter: Plants that suit the hot summers ahead

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Climate change is slowly but surely creating some major alterations in our gardens, meaning we need to be far more proactive in our planning and plantings.

Extreme heat, drought and resulting water restrictions are just some examples of what we are learning to live with. In an El Nino year, we also experienced some extreme cold, also tough on our gardens.

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Not only do we need more drought-tolerant summer plants, we also need to ensure they are pollinator friendly. One plant family, in particular, has become a standout in both.

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Salvias, both annual and perennial forms, have become the go-to summer plants.

The many varieties of the blue salvia farinacea have been favorites for years, not only because of their unique blue colouring, but because they are summer weather-tolerant and attract numerous pollinators. The new Summer Jewel series has a beautiful new flower form and comes in shades of lavender, pink, red and white. It has become a hummingbird favourite and also attracts goldfinches. The plants are quite compact, maturing about 30 cm tall and wide, and bloom from spring until frost.

There are a number of salvia varieties named after hummingbirds, like the series of Hummingbird Coral Nymph, Forest Fire and Snow Nymph, all boasting unique flower forms. Hummingbird Falls is a semi-trailing series with more traditional flower forms in a dark blue-black. It’s great for hanging baskets and also works well in large containers.

Most perennial salvia varieties have much longer blooming periods, love the heat and are drought tolerant. The new Fashionista series, good to Zone 3 and available in four pastel colours, is cutting edge with its stunning forms.

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Even though they bloom longer and are great for the garden, the more tender salvia greggii varieties are far better for containers. The most famous is Hot Lips, a red and white stunner, but all the colours in this series are vibrant. I especially like the red, hot pink and pink-and-white plants.

If you’re looking for an eye-catching focal point to match the new colours and flower forms of these salvias, try to track down ptilotus Joey Apex. It’s a reintroduction of the old Joey ptilotus, but with hot pink, featherlike flower stems that are truly unique and bloom all summer into fall.

Zinnias are some of the traditional heat lovers, and new mounding forms of the Profusion and Zahara series are ideal for containers and beds, featuring masses of bright blooms.

Lantanas, too, now come in a series of new forms, many of which mound nicely to suit both containers and hanging baskets. They thrive in the heat of summer and attract butterflies, bees and hummingbirds.

The new kids on the block, which many people are just now discovering, are the heat-loving mandevillas. Their stunning flowers thrive in the heat and come in the most vibrant reds, pinks and white with new yellows just introduced. They bring a tropical look and form to your patios and are very easy to care for and enjoy all summer.

It is getting both hotter and drier in summer and it’s great to have some new weather-tolerant plants that both meet the challenge and provide food nectar and pollen for our birds and pollinators.

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