Temperatures in the upper nineties and above one hundred are hard on plants, even those we consider heat tolerant. Water is the key factor in plant management of heat. Plants cool themselves through transpiration the same way we cool ourselves through perspiration. No water means no cooling. High temperatures are also hard on gardeners. Try to work in the garden in the morning or evening and stay out of the direct sunlight in the middle and afternoon parts of the day. Water is also the key factor for people. Be well hydrated before you go and keep a water source handy while in the garden.

Here are a few plants that thrive in hot weather and very little water:

Black-eyed Susan

Sturdy and easy to grow, this early-summer-blooming flower brightens gardens. Cutting encourages them to rebloom late in the season.

Mealycup Sage - Tall, densely packed flowers appear on this plant, which is native to southern New Mexico, Texas, and Mexico, in late spring. Blooms vary from deep violet to white, and cuplike calyxes are covered with white hairs that often have a blue or violet tinge. Like other members of the sage family, mealycup sage is generally pest free.

Threadleaf Coreopsis - Southern natives, these easy-to-grow members of the sunflower family yield a profusion of yellow blooms.

Madagascar Periwinkle - Native to Madagascar, India, and tropical Asia, these bushy plants thrive in both humid and dry heat. Flowers bloom atop glossy leaves in pure white, pink, rose, or white with a rose or red eye The flower was formerly known botanically as Vinca rosea, and many people still call it vinca.

Portulaca - This fleshy plant is known for brilliant flowers in a variety of colors. Generally, blossoms open fully in bright light and close by mid-afternoon in hot weather. Portulaca thrives in high temperatures and intense sunlight and is not fussy about soil.

Zinnia - Zinnias are longtime garden favorites for colorful, round flowers. The flexible hot-weather plants don’t gain from being planted early and stand still until weather warms up.

Verbena - The numerous selections of this flower are some of the garden’s most colorful, useful, and easy-to-grow plants. They bloom in late spring, thrive in heat, and tolerate drought.

See you next time with more gardening stuff. MSUcares.com for more information.