Few plants handle the blazing sun and drought like lantana. This durable annual produces clusters of tiny flowers in fiery combinations of orange, yellow, pink, red, and purple — often with multiple colors on a single cluster that shift as they age. 

Most varieties grow 12 to 36 inches tall and wide, though trailing types stay lower and spread nicely over the edges of containers or retaining walls. Lantana wants full sun, at least 6 hours a day, and actually performs better with less water once established.

It’s an absolute pollinator magnet, drawing butterflies and hummingbirds in droves. Use it as a filler in mixed beds, a spiller in patio pots, or massed together as a heat-proof groundcover. It pairs beautifully with ornamental grasses, salvia, and other sun-lovers that won’t be overshadowed by its long bloom season.

Coleus proves you don’t need flowers to steal the show. Grown for its uniquely patterned foliage in combinations of lime green, burgundy, magenta, cream, and near-black, coleus brings season-long color that never needs deadheading. 

Sizes range from compact 12-inch mounds to towering 3-foot specimens, so there’s a variety for every spot. While older varieties preferred shade, most modern sun coleus varieties handle full sun beautifully; they actually develop richer, more saturated colors with more light—just keep the soil consistently moist.

Coleus isn’t a major pollinator draw, but its real merit is as a design tool. It acts as living color that ties together a bed or container, working as a thriller in pots or a colorful backdrop for flowering annuals like impatiens, begonias, or Angelonia. It’s also one of the easiest plants to propagate from cuttings if you want to expand your collection for free.

Marigolds have earned their reputation as a garden workhorse for good reason. Their warm-toned blooms in gold, orange, yellow, and mahogany-red bring instant cheer, and they come in sizes ranging from petite 6-inch French marigolds to bold 3-foot African types.

Marigolds demand full sun and, in exchange, will provide continuous blooms from late spring through frost, especially if spent flowers are deadheaded. They’re beloved by bees and butterflies and are frequently planted near vegetable gardens for their cheerful color and traditional companion-planting appeal.

In the landscape, use dwarf varieties as colorful edging or in mass plantings, and taller varieties as mid-border color. They combine nicely with zinnias, salvia, and ornamental peppers for a hot-colored, high-summer palette.

If you have a hot, sunny spot where nothing else survives, purslane is your answer. This low-growing, succulent annual features fleshy, water-storing leaves and cheerful, rose-like blooms in vibrant shades of pink, orange, yellow, red, and white, often opening fully only in bright sun.

It stays low—typically 4 to 8 inches tall—but spreads 12 to 18 inches wide, making it an outstanding groundcover, edging plant, or spiller for hanging baskets and window boxes. Purslane wants full, blazing sun and thrives on neglect; overwatering is more likely to hurt it than underwatering.

It attracts bees and other small pollinators and looks fantastic tumbling out of containers alongside vinca, marigolds, or ornamental grasses. For rock gardens, raised beds, or that scorching strip along a south-facing sidewalk, purslane is nearly indestructible.

Not every challenging summer location is in full sun. For shaded areas that still need bold color and texture, caladiums offer a beautiful solution. Grown strictly for their spectacular heart-shaped or lance-shaped leaves, caladiums come in show-stopping patterns of white, pink, red, and green, often splashed, veined, or edged in contrasting colors.

Depending on the variety, plants range from compact 8-inch dwarf types perfect for container edges, to bold 24-inch specimens that make a real statement. Unlike the other plants in this lineup, caladiums prefer part shade to full shade, though newer, sun-tolerant varieties can handle a few hours of direct morning light if kept consistently moist.

They aren’t pollinator plants since they rarely flower, but their real merit is providing color where flowering annuals struggle. Use them as a dramatic filler under trees, along shaded walkways, or as the star of a shade container paired with ferns, hostas, or impatiens.

For homeowners battling patchy shade alongside sunny beds, caladiums are the perfect complement to the heat-lovers above—proof that a colorful landscape doesn’t have to stop where the shade begins.

Annual vinca (Catharanthus roseus) is practically built for Kansas City summers, shrugging off heat, humidity, and drought that would flatten less resilient plants.

Its glossy, dark green foliage sets off flat, five-petaled blooms in white, pink, red, and lavender, each often featuring a contrasting ‘eye’ in the center. Most varieties form neat mounds eight to 18-inches tall, making them ideal for garden beds, borders, and containers alike.

Vinca needs full sun and, unlike many annuals, actually prefers to dry out between waterings — soggy soil is its biggest enemy. While it’s not a top pollinator plant, its glossy foliage and long bloom season make it a dependable filler that keeps beds looking finished all summer.

It looks especially sharp paired with purslane, marigolds, or ornamental grasses for a low-maintenance, high-impact combination.

Sometimes called “summer snapdragon,” Angelonia brings a more refined, upright look to the heat-loving lineup. Its delicate spikes of orchid-like flowers come in shades of purple, pink, white, and bicolor combinations, blooming continuously on plants that typically reach 12 to 24 inches tall.

Angelonia thrives in full sun and genuinely improves as summer heats up, shrugging off humidity that makes many other annuals sulk. It draws bees and butterflies, offering a striking vertical, airy texture that contrasts well with rounder or trailing plants.

Use it as a middle-of-the-border accent, a thriller in mixed containers, or repeat it in a row for a tidy, formal look. It pairs especially well with lantana, coleus, or vinca for a layered, textural planting.