Container gardening in the heat can be tricky, but with the right plant combos, it turns into a total summer win. I’ve tried a bunch over the years, and these heat-loving pairs and trios never let me down.
They’re bold, beautiful, and don’t mind soaking up the sun all season long. If you want your containers to look great without constant babysitting, these picks are the way to go.
I’ll also throw in some easy tips to keep them happy when the temps start to sizzle.
1. Lantana and Sweet Potato Vine
Colorful clusters of lantana flowers create a striking contrast against trailing sweet potato vine’s chartreuse or purple foliage. The combination offers months of continuous color with minimal maintenance required.
Both plants thrive in hot, sunny conditions and are drought-resistant once established. For best results, use a well-draining potting mix and place in a location that receives at least 6 hours of direct sunlight daily.
2. Angelonia and Calibrachoa
Known as summer snapdragon, angelonia’s upright spikes create vertical interest while calibrachoa’s tiny petunia-like flowers spill over the edges. This pairing offers tremendous flower power even during intense heat waves.
Choose complementary colors like purple angelonia with yellow calibrachoa for eye-catching contrast. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry, and deadhead occasionally to encourage continued blooming throughout the entire summer.
3. Succulents and Ornamental Grasses
Architectural succulents paired with wispy ornamental grasses create a contemporary, drought-tolerant container that thrives in heat. Try combining spiky blue senecio with Mexican feather grass for a stunning textural display.
Use a cactus potting mix for excellent drainage, which both plant types prefer. This combination requires minimal watering, making it perfect for busy gardeners or those living in water-restricted areas.
4. Salvia and Verbena
Tall, dramatic salvia creates a perfect backdrop for low-growing, spreading verbena in this heat-loving duo. Both plants attract pollinators, bringing butterflies and hummingbirds to your container garden all summer long.
Choose contrasting colors like deep blue salvia with bright pink verbena for maximum visual impact. Feed monthly with a bloom-boosting fertilizer to maintain continuous flowering, and trim back spent salvia blooms to encourage more flower production.
5. Canna and Coleus
Bold canna lilies with their tropical foliage and bright flowers pair beautifully with coleus, whose colorful leaves come in endless patterns and hues. This combination creates a lush, exotic look that actually improves as temperatures rise.
Place these heat-lovers in a location with morning sun and afternoon shade in very hot climates. Keep soil consistently moist but not soggy, and fertilize every 2-3 weeks for the most vibrant foliage and abundant blooms.
6. Portulaca and Blue Fescue
Moss rose (portulaca) produces jewel-toned flowers that open in sunshine and close at night, while blue fescue adds cool-toned, spiky texture. This ultra-drought-tolerant pairing thrives in blazing heat and sandy soil.
Allow soil to dry completely between waterings to prevent root rot. The succulent nature of portulaca stores water efficiently, while blue fescue’s silvery-blue color reflects sunlight, helping both plants withstand intense summer conditions with minimal care.
7. Pentas and Scaevola
Star-shaped pentas flowers attract butterflies with their nectar-rich blooms, while fan flower (scaevola) creates a waterfall of unique, fan-shaped blossoms cascading over container edges. Both plants bloom continuously through summer heat without deadheading.
Water thoroughly when the top inch of soil feels dry. This combo performs best in morning sun with afternoon shade in the hottest regions, though they can handle full sun with adequate moisture.
8. Agave and Sedum
Architectural agave creates a dramatic focal point while trailing sedums soften the edges in this striking, drought-tolerant combination. The contrasting textures—spiky and smooth—create visual interest that requires almost no maintenance.
Use extremely well-draining soil and containers with drainage holes to prevent root rot. This pairing thrives on neglect and actually performs better with minimal watering, making it perfect for hot, sunny locations or forgetful gardeners.
9. Zinnia and Celosia
Bright, daisy-like zinnias pair perfectly with feathery or crested celosia for a heat-loving container that blooms non-stop until frost. Both annuals thrive in hot weather and attract butterflies and pollinators to your garden space.
Deadhead spent zinnia blooms to encourage more flowers. This combination prefers consistent moisture but tolerates occasional drying out, making it relatively forgiving during summer heat waves when watering schedules might be interrupted.
10. Cordyline and Euphorbia
Dramatic cordyline with its spiky, colorful foliage creates height while airy euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ adds a cloud-like effect of tiny white flowers. This architectural pairing offers tremendous textural contrast and thrives in summer heat.
Both plants prefer to dry slightly between waterings. The combination works well in modern container designs and maintains its good looks throughout the hottest months with minimal care, even when other flowering plants may struggle.
11. Gomphrena and Dichondra
Globe amaranth (gomphrena) produces papery, long-lasting flowers in vibrant colors while silver falls dichondra creates a stunning metallic cascade over container edges. This combination maintains excellent appearance even during the hottest, most humid periods.
Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings. The clover-like foliage of dichondra reflects sunlight, helping keep the container cooler, while gomphrena’s drought tolerance ensures continuous blooming even when moisture levels fluctuate during summer heat.
12. Mandevilla and Petunia
Climbing mandevilla vines with their trumpet-shaped flowers create vertical interest when trained on a small trellis, while petunias provide a colorful, cascading skirt below. This tropical-looking combination blooms continuously throughout summer.
Choose complementary colors like pink mandevilla with purple petunias for a cohesive look. Water thoroughly when the top inch of soil feels dry, and fertilize every two weeks with a bloom-boosting formula to maintain continuous flowering.
13. Cuphea and Alternanthera
Cigar plant (cuphea) produces tubular orange-red flowers beloved by hummingbirds, while alternanthera’s colorful foliage adds contrasting texture. This pairing maintains vibrant color even during the most intense summer heat.
Both plants prefer consistent moisture but won’t collapse if occasionally forgotten. Position this container where you can watch hummingbirds visit throughout the day, and trim back cuphea lightly if it becomes leggy to encourage more compact growth.
14. Vinca and Euphorbia
Heat-loving annual vinca (not the ground cover) produces non-stop flowers in hot weather, while euphorbia ‘Diamond Frost’ creates a frothy cloud of tiny white blooms. This reliable pairing performs beautifully throughout summer with minimal maintenance.
Both plants are drought-tolerant once established and resist common summer pests. For the most impactful display, choose bright pink or red vinca to contrast with euphorbia’s delicate white flowers, creating a combination that looks fresh even in the dog days of summer.
15. Geranium and Artemisia
Classic geraniums provide reliable color all summer while silver artemisia adds cooling contrast and texture. This traditional combination has stood the test of time because both plants thrive in hot, sunny conditions.
Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings, as both plants prefer drier conditions than many summer annuals. Remove spent geranium blooms regularly to encourage more flowers, and trim artemisia if it begins to overwhelm the container.
16. Cleome and Dusty Miller
Tall, airy cleome (spider flower) creates dramatic height while silvery dusty miller provides cooling contrast at the base. This striking combination handles heat beautifully and maintains interest through both flowers and foliage.
The silver foliage of dusty miller reflects sunlight, helping keep soil temperatures lower. Water when the top inch of soil feels dry, and support taller cleome stems if they become top-heavy with their unusual spider-like blooms.
17. Hibiscus and Evolvulus
Tropical hibiscus with its dinner-plate sized blooms creates a stunning focal point while blue daze (evolvulus) adds contrasting color with its sky-blue flowers that open fresh each morning. This pairing creates a vacation-worthy container.
Keep soil consistently moist but not waterlogged. Feed regularly with a bloom-boosting fertilizer to encourage maximum flowering. This combination appreciates humidity, making it perfect for areas with hot, muggy summers.
18. Plumbago and Angelonia
Sky-blue plumbago creates a fountain of color while angelonia adds vertical interest with its snapdragon-like flower spikes. Both plants bloom continuously through summer heat and humidity without deadheading.
Allow soil to dry slightly between waterings once established. This combination attracts butterflies and maintains its fresh appearance even during the hottest weeks of summer, when many other container plants may look tired and worn.