Georgia summers can be relentless, but some perennials handle the heat like champs. These plants stay vibrant without demanding constant care, making your garden easier to enjoy.
Picking the right perennials means more color and less work during the hottest months. Check out 16 perennials that thrive in Georgia heat without extra attention.
1. Black-Eyed Susan
These cheerful yellow blooms bring sunshine to Georgia gardens from summer through fall. Their drought tolerance makes them perfect for busy gardeners who forget to water occasionally.
Native to North America, black-eyed Susans attract butterflies and beneficial insects while standing strong against Georgia’s humidity and heat. They’ll happily self-seed, creating natural drifts throughout your garden.
2. Coneflower
Hardy and resilient, coneflowers produce stunning daisy-like blooms in shades of purple, pink, white, and yellow. Their deep root systems help them access water during Georgia’s occasional dry spells.
Beyond their beauty, these native perennials support local wildlife and have medicinal properties. Across Georgia landscapes, coneflowers provide reliable color from early summer through fall without demanding constant attention.
3. Daylily
Virtually indestructible, daylilies earn their keep in Georgia gardens with minimal fuss. Each bloom lasts just one day, but plants produce flowers for weeks, creating reliable summer color.
Georgia gardeners appreciate their ability to thrive in poor soil conditions where other plants struggle. Available in countless colors and forms, from ruffled to spider types, daylilies adapt beautifully to Georgia’s challenging climate.
4. Lantana
Butterflies flock to lantana’s colorful clusters of tiny blooms that often display multiple hues on a single plant. Once established in Georgia soil, these tough plants laugh at drought and keep flowering regardless of heat.
Many Georgia homeowners plant lantana along driveways or in hot, exposed areas where other plants fail. Their spreading habit creates excellent ground cover, while their deer resistance makes them practical for rural properties.
5. Sedum
With fleshy leaves that store water, sedums thrive in Georgia’s hottest, driest spots where other plants struggle. Their star-shaped flowers attract pollinators and add late-season interest to gardens.
Georgia gardeners love how these low-maintenance plants require almost no care once established. From ground-hugging varieties to taller types like ‘Autumn Joy,’ sedums offer versatility for different garden spaces throughout the state.
6. Salvia
Spikes of blue, purple, or red flowers make salvias standout performers in Georgia gardens. Their aromatic foliage naturally repels deer and rabbits while attracting hummingbirds and butterflies throughout summer.
Many Georgia gardeners report that once established, salvias bounce back year after year despite neglect. Their Mediterranean origins make them perfectly suited to handle Georgia’s hot, sometimes humid conditions without complaint.
7. Russian Sage
Silvery-gray foliage topped with lavender-blue flower spikes creates a dreamy, ethereal effect in Georgia landscapes. This drought-tolerant beauty thrives in poor soil and actually performs better with neglect.
Many Georgia homeowners place Russian sage in problem areas where irrigation is limited. Its aromatic leaves deter pests naturally, while its wispy appearance softens hardscapes and adds movement to gardens throughout the state.
8. Yarrow
Flat-topped flower clusters in shades of yellow, pink, red, or white crown yarrow’s feathery foliage. This ancient medicinal herb laughs at Georgia’s summer heat while providing weeks of color.
Across Georgia gardens, yarrow proves itself as a reliable performer even during drought conditions. Its strong stems make excellent cut flowers, while its drought tolerance makes it perfect for water-wise landscapes throughout the state.
9. Agastache
Also called hyssop or hummingbird mint, agastache produces spikes of tubular flowers that hummingbirds can’t resist. Its licorice-scented foliage remains fragrant even during Georgia’s hottest months.
Georgia gardeners appreciate how this tough perennial handles poor soil and limited water once established. With varieties offering blue, purple, pink, or orange blooms, agastache provides reliable summer color throughout the state’s diverse growing regions.
10. Liriope
Often called monkey grass, liriope forms tidy clumps of grass-like foliage that Georgia gardeners rely on for tough spots. Purple or white flower spikes emerge in late summer, followed by black berries.
Throughout Georgia, liriope serves as dependable edging along paths or borders. Its ability to thrive in sun or shade makes it incredibly versatile, while its drought tolerance ensures it survives even when watering restrictions hit the state.
11. Bearded Iris
Elegant blooms in virtually every color of the rainbow make bearded iris a garden favorite. Their sword-like foliage provides structure even when not in flower during Georgia’s hot summers.
Many Georgia gardeners inherit these pass-along plants from family members, creating living connections between generations. Their rhizomes actually prefer to bake in the sun, making them perfect for the state’s hot climate and poor soils.
12. Coreopsis
Daisy-like flowers in sunny yellows, oranges, or bicolors cover coreopsis plants from early summer through fall. These native wildflowers handle Georgia’s heat and humidity with grace and minimal care.
Across Georgia gardens, coreopsis creates reliable color even during the hottest months. Their compact habit makes them perfect for borders, while their prolific blooming attracts beneficial pollinators throughout the growing season.
13. Baptisia
False indigo develops into impressive shrub-like clumps with blue, purple, yellow, or white lupine-like flowers in spring. Its bluish-green foliage remains attractive all season in Georgia gardens.
Native to North America, baptisia develops deep roots that help it survive Georgia’s occasional droughts. Once established, these long-lived perennials create architectural interest and require virtually no maintenance throughout the state’s gardens.
14. Gaura
Wand-like stems covered with delicate white or pink butterfly-shaped flowers dance above gaura’s foliage all summer long. Their movement adds whimsical charm to Georgia gardens even on still days.
Gaura’s deep taproot helps it access water during Georgia’s dry spells, making it remarkably drought-tolerant. Many gardeners throughout the state plant gaura where sprinklers don’t reach, knowing it will perform beautifully despite neglect.
15. Dianthus
Spicy-scented blooms in shades of pink, red, and white top neat mounds of blue-green foliage. These charming flowers, also called pinks, handle Georgia’s heat while providing old-fashioned cottage garden appeal.
Across Georgia’s varied growing zones, dianthus proves itself as a reliable performer in well-drained soil. Their drought tolerance once established makes them perfect for rock gardens or border edges throughout the state.
16. Verbena
Clusters of small, vibrant flowers in purple, pink, red, or white cover verbena plants from spring until frost. Their spreading habit makes them excellent ground covers in Georgia’s challenging climate.
Many Georgia gardeners use verbena in hot, sunny spots where other plants struggle. Their ability to flower continuously despite heat and humidity makes them valuable additions to gardens throughout the state’s diverse growing regions.