Gardening and Horticulture - Patio with full sun west exposure

I have a patio surrounded by beds made with landscaping timber. Late summer in Kansas gets VERY hot. What plants can hold up best against the sometimes 100+ temps?

Hi iluvmre2002,

Just about anything but pansies and regular petunias. The wave petunias CAN withstand our heat. They're great for hanging baskets, and some varieties will spread to 6' on the ground.

Your nursery will have plants soon that can take the heat. Pay attention to the plant tags and find plants that will take partial sun.

Since it's on the west side, they will only be getting afternoon sun? I have full sun plants on that side, they grow and bloom, but they're always shorter than the same plants that get full sun.

You'll have to pay close attention to watering during the heat of the summer, and I also suggest a 3-4" layer of mulch to help retain moisture and suppress weeds.

Gami

Thanks- I am a little short on the amount of mulching. That is probably causing the dry soil too soon after watering. It just seems that they are roasting as that is the hottest part of the outside of the house during the summer.

Hi iluvmre2002,

You're welcome. Are you in the part of Kansas that had the ice storm recently? If so, there is lots of free mulch available. I haven't made any calls yet tho to find out where to pick it up.

I buy wood chip mulch by truckload. It's cheaper that way. If you need that much, most nurseries carry it, or at least the ones on the outskirts of town.

Gami

My front yard faces west. The afternoon sun is brutal!!! In the summer, the front gets 8-9 hours of sun everyday. The plants I've had the most success with are zinnias and regular petunias. Sorry, GAMI, but my regular petunias thrive.

A neighbor has always had success with periwinkle. Her periwinkles come in thick, bushy and loaded with blooms. I've not done well with periwinkle, yet we have similar exposures. I do mulch with Black Gold, a dark shredded hardwood and water/fertilize regularly.

I've also had some success with marigolds, though last year they didn't fare well.

Yes, I was right in the middle of the worst w/poweroutages for several days. If I find out where mulch is around here I will post it. We lost some young trees, not much mulch. I did have a lot of luck with Vinca in frontyard, but never tried out back.

Hi iluvmre2002,

If I find out where to pick it up, I'll let you know also. We might as well take advantage of it.

Bob, glad to hear you have good luck with regular petunias. For me and others in our area, they just peter out in the hot summer months. I kept trying for seveal years, as I really love petunias. Once I found the waves, I was hooked...and they even reseed.

Gami

Hi all......

I guess I can throw in my plug for "profusion" zinnias here. :) They are wonderful in the heat of summer in full sun....they just keep on blooming!