Hardy Outside Plants ...

I need some help choosing hardy outside plants for my flower beds and garden. We have no shade, and live in garden Zone #14, Modesto, California, which allows gardening all year. Temperatures have already hit triple digit! I have two flower beds that face the south, and one that faces the north. Yearly low temperatures are usually around 28 degrees F. Usually warms up by sunrise. I have seen the temperature drop down to 22 degrees one year. Highs have reached 118 degrees F.

So far, I’ve had good success with some kind of (unknown) prickly fern (very nasty thorns, similar to rose thorns!), which survives even the coldest winters, high winds, and the hottest summers (full sun); geraniums in the full sun (four different kinds), several (unknown) cacti, greens (many kinds). Jades get sunburned so bad, that I’ve had to bring them inside permenantly. Also had to bring in my Joseph’s Coat.

My Bunny Ears also do much better inside. I’ve kept some inside (doing very nicely!), and several outside -- trying to place them under shelves, where they only get about three hours of sun in the morning, and another three hours sun in the afternoon. The Bunny Ears outside are not doing as well as the ones inside, but they are surviving better than the Joseph’s Coat that are outside (potted together with the Bunny Ears in containers).

Several Chain Plants have done well in the heat, but I’ve put them in the flower beds (in pots so I can move them around) that face the north, so they don’t get sun all day (for now). They get a few hours of sun in the morning, and another few hours in the afternoon. They still do much better inside though. I have some inside too.

My Aspargus Fern that is outside is doing very well in the sweltering heat! Wasn’t sure if it would make it, but has survived temperatures of at least 114 degrees F. this year. My other one inside is not doing so well.

I'd like to have flowers blooming year around, succulents, cacti, and ground covers. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

- Riding 4 Life
http://vj4him.blogspot.com/

Welcome to DG! You may also want to know that you're in USDA zone 9a. The zone 14 is the Sunset climate zone which is a much better system of zones, but it's not used much outside of the west so the midwest/south/east coast people may not know what zone 14 means. Do you have a copy of the Sunset Western Garden book? That's the bible of gardening out here, if you look in there at what will do well in zone 14 you can't really go wrong.

I'm in the same Sunset zone you are--I don't grow much in the way of succulents, cacti, or groundcovers, but I can list off some flowers that I have which have nice long bloom periods. Here are some of the perennials that I have growing in full sun: Gaillardia, Gazania, Salvia greggii, Salvia microphylla, Salvia canariensis, Salvia clevelandii, Nemesia, Erysimum 'Bowles Mauve', various lavender species, Nierembergia, Anagallis monelli, Dendromecon harfordii, Perovskia, Santolina, Achillea, Agastache, Coreopsis, Gaura, Lantana, Nepeta, Penstemon, Phygelius, rosemary. Some of my favorite shrubs are Vitex agnus-castus, Chilopsis linearis, Echium fastuosum, Cestrum (various species), Anisodontea, Polygala, Callistemon, and Grevillea (various species).

One advice I would give you though is don't plant anything now--it is much better to wait until fall/winter when the rains are about to start. Planting things now doesn't give them time to get established before you start getting really hot weather, and with the intensity of the sun around here even temps that are only in the 80's can be stressful for newly planted things. If you're really careful on the watering you won't lose everything you plant now, but you will definitely have a higher success rate if you plant in the fall when weather will stay cool, and the rain over the winter will help as well. I typically do most of my planting around Thanksgiving, although you could probably do it a little earlier than that and still be fine.

vjaforhim, My aunt lived not far from you and she grew the most fantastic roses. and some daylillies.

Ecrane: I maybe incorrect but would not putting a plant in a container in full sun there be like putting it in a toaster oven? Even here in east TN I would never leave anything in full sun in a container during summer. I think the highst temp I recall in the last 30 years is 105. What is your humidity like out there? Here we stay at 70 to 100 % all summer, makes the air really thick here sometimes.

I never said anything about putting containers in full sun. vja4Him mentioned flower beds and garden, so my comments were about plants that could be planted in the garden--all the plants I was talking about growing in full sun are planted in garden beds.

Although I wasn't talking about containers above, I will add that I do have containers that are in full sun and they do fine--I usually try to use light colored pots which absorb less heat and you obviously have to really stay on top of the watering, and you also have to be careful what type of plants you choose (I've had the best luck with things that love sun and heat and can tolerate drying out in between waterings), and I also cluster all my pots together which I think helps keep the pots from absorbing as much heat. If I have a choice I will put things where they are at least protected from sun during the hottest part of the day, but I have some things in containers that will do fine even in the hot PM sun. It's really all about the right plant choices and staying on top of the watering.

Our humidity is very low out here during the summer--not quite as bad as the desert but definitely way lower than yours.

I have many plants in containers in full sun in the Atlanta area. I guess it depends on the plants you use and how often you water. A lot of them thrive, those that don't get moved to semi-shade.

Here are some cordyline plants for example that are in full sun all day and stay out year round (die to the ground but come back in the late spring). I water these perhaps every two weeks in summer.

Do you have a spot where you can plant a shade tree to help buffer that sun in the future? Would be worth the investment so that you get some relief as it grows.