Louisiana’s steamy climate challenges many garden plants, but some flowers absolutely love it! The high humidity and warm temperatures create perfect growing conditions for certain blooms.
Gardening in Louisiana means embracing plants that can handle both the moisture and heat while still putting on a gorgeous show.
1. Hibiscus: Tropical Splendor
Nothing says Southern garden quite like the dramatic hibiscus flower. These showy blooms unfurl like tissue paper in vibrant reds, pinks, and yellows against glossy green leaves.
Hardy hibiscus varieties bounce back year after year in Louisiana gardens, shrugging off the humidity that would wilt lesser plants. Morning sun with afternoon shade keeps them happiest, especially during those scorching summer months.
2. Canna Lilies: Bold Statement Makers
Standing tall like colorful soldiers, canna lilies bring both dramatic foliage and striking flowers to Louisiana landscapes. Their paddle-shaped leaves often feature burgundy or striped patterns that look gorgeous even when the plant isn’t blooming.
Once established, these beauties laugh at Louisiana’s humidity while producing torch-like flower clusters in hot oranges, yellows, and reds. Plant them in groups for maximum impact along borders or as focal points.
3. Crinum Lilies: Southern Heirlooms
Passed down through generations of Southern gardeners, crinum lilies are living pieces of Louisiana history. Their strappy leaves form fountains of green, topped by clusters of fragrant, trumpet-shaped blooms in white or pink.
Locals sometimes call them “cemetery lilies” because they’re often found in old graveyards, silently demonstrating their incredible staying power. Once established, these bulbs can survive decades of neglect while still flowering faithfully each summer, undeterred by Louisiana’s sticky air.
4. Plumbago: Sky-Blue Wonder
Imagine clusters of delicate blue flowers that mirror the Louisiana sky on clear days. That’s plumbago for you! This semi-woody shrub produces masses of powder-blue blooms that butterflies simply can’t resist.
Growing about 3 feet tall and wide, plumbago keeps flowering from spring until the first frost. The humid conditions that make humans wilt only encourage this tough plant to bloom more profusely, making it perfect for those challenging spots in your Louisiana landscape.
5. Ginger Lilies: Fragrant Showstoppers
Walking through a Louisiana garden in late summer, your nose might catch the sweet perfume before your eyes spot the source. Ginger lilies bring both beauty and fragrance to shady garden corners.
Their butterfly-shaped white blooms appear on tall stalks above tropical-looking foliage. Butterflies and hummingbirds flock to these exotic beauties. The plants form dense clumps over time, creating dramatic focal points in woodland gardens where Louisiana’s humidity makes them feel right at home.
6. Louisiana Iris: Native Beauty
Louisiana’s very own state wildflower thrives in the soggy conditions that challenge other plants. These elegant irises display complex blooms in purple, blue, red, and yellow, often with contrasting patterns.
Found naturally in Louisiana’s swamps and wetlands, they’ve been cultivated by gardeners who appreciate their ability to handle wet feet. Plant them along pond edges or in low spots where other flowers would rot. Their sword-like foliage adds structure to the garden even after blooming season ends.
7. Rudbeckia: Sunny Disposition
When summer heat waves hit Louisiana, rudbeckia (black-eyed Susan) keeps on smiling. These cheerful yellow daisies with dark centers brighten up gardens from June through October, unfazed by the humidity that wilts more delicate blooms.
Native to North America, they’ve adapted perfectly to Louisiana’s growing conditions. Bees, butterflies, and goldfinches flock to these sunny flowers. After the blooms fade, the seed heads provide food for birds through fall, giving these beauties multi-season appeal in Southern landscapes.
8. Pentas: Butterfly Magnets
Clusters of star-shaped blooms make pentas a standout performer in Louisiana gardens. Available in reds, pinks, purples, and whites, these flowers bloom non-stop from spring until frost, shrugging off summer’s heat and humidity.
Butterflies and hummingbirds can’t resist their nectar-rich flowers. Growing about 2-3 feet tall, pentas work beautifully in containers on patios or as colorful additions to flower beds. Their ability to bloom through Louisiana’s hottest months makes them invaluable for maintaining summer color.
9. Angel’s Trumpet: Exotic Elegance
Hanging like elegant bells from woody stems, angel’s trumpet flowers create a tropical paradise in Louisiana gardens. Their massive, fragrant blooms—often reaching 8 inches long—release their sweetest perfume in the evening, filling humid night air with exotic scent.
Growing as large shrubs or small trees, they make dramatic focal points. White, yellow, pink, or peach trumpets dangle above large, tropical-looking leaves. Louisiana’s humidity helps these South American natives feel right at home, though they appreciate afternoon shade during the hottest months.
10. Lantana: Heat-Loving Color Wheels
Lantana laughs at Louisiana’s summer heat while other plants wilt in protest. The multi-colored flower clusters look like tiny bouquets, often featuring yellow, orange, pink, and red all on the same plant, changing color as they age.
Butterflies swarm to these nectar-rich blooms from morning till night. Drought-tolerant once established, lantana thrives in Louisiana’s humid climate without pampering. Its slightly citrusy scent when brushed against adds another sensory dimension to garden walks during steamy summer evenings.
11. Confederate Jasmine: Sweet Perfume
Not actually a jasmine but a star jasmine, this vigorous vine covers Louisiana fences and trellises with glossy evergreen leaves and star-shaped white flowers. The intoxicating fragrance can perfume an entire garden, especially on humid evenings when scent carries farther.
Growing up to 20 feet long, it creates living privacy screens or decorative accents on mailbox posts and lamp poles. The combination of Louisiana’s humidity and warmth helps this Asian native flower abundantly each spring, with sporadic blooms continuing through summer.
12. Firespike: Hummingbird Haven
Rising like flaming torches in the late summer garden, firespike produces vibrant red flower spikes that hummingbirds simply cannot resist. The tubular blooms appear just when many other plants have given up for the season.
Growing 3-4 feet tall with deep green foliage, firespike adds tropical flair to Louisiana landscapes. It thrives in partial shade, making it perfect for those challenging spots under trees. The humidity that makes humans uncomfortable seems to make firespike grow even more luxuriantly.
13. Turk’s Cap: Quirky Charm
Resembling little turbans in bright red, Turk’s cap flowers never fully open, instead remaining in a twisted, partially unfurled state. This unusual form doesn’t deter hummingbirds, which eagerly probe the nectar-filled blooms.
Happiest in dappled shade, these shrubby plants grow about 3 feet tall in Louisiana gardens. The bright flowers stand out beautifully against dark green leaves. Even in the steamiest Louisiana summer, Turk’s cap keeps producing its quirky blooms, untroubled by the humidity that wilts more delicate flowers.
14. Tropical Milkweed: Butterfly Nursery
Monarch butterflies flock to tropical milkweed, laying eggs that transform into hungry caterpillars munching on the leaves. The bright orange and yellow flowers add cheerful color to Louisiana gardens from spring through fall.
Growing about 3 feet tall, this milkweed species handles Louisiana’s humidity better than many of its cousins. The showy flower clusters attract not just monarchs but many other butterfly species as well. Plant it where you can watch the fascinating butterfly life cycle unfold in your own backyard.
15. Rain Lilies: After-Shower Surprise
Like magic, rain lilies pop up seemingly overnight after summer thunderstorms roll through Louisiana. Their delicate pink or white flowers look like miniature lilies or crocus blooms, rising on slender stems above grassy foliage.
Native to tropical America, these bulbs have naturalized throughout the South. They’re perfect for lawn edges or scattered through flower beds where they create surprise blooms after rainy days. The bulbs multiply readily in Louisiana’s warm, humid conditions, creating larger displays each year.