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I am on my third summer in Durham. The first year I planted what did fabulous in NJ--Impatiens. Somehow the plant bed that was shady in the winter was 100% sun in the summer. My Impatiens were pathetic until they started to grow at the end of September. In Year Two I tried to get smarter and plant Vinca. They also bombed. My Marigolds also died after about 1 month.
What annuals do you plant in full sun here that thrives during a typical NC summer? I need something very hardy for my beds and mailbox area.
The only full-sun spot where we plant annuals is in our planter boxes, where they can be kept watered. (We have self-watering boxes that hold a couple of quarts of water.)
Otherwise, the heat of the summer sun tends to be too much for annuals.
There are some wax begonias, petunias (I like "wave") & geraniums that will take the heat, but you'd be better off with something like the "Ice Plant"... loves heat & is drought tolerant. It has fushia spring flowers, but mainly green year round. The ice plant will thrive without much attention or water and is a quick (almost invasive) traveler.
If you have room for them Knock-Out Roses love the sun. Coreopsis, Salvia and Mexican Heather are a good choice as are Lantana & Verbena, but those tend to get a big "leggy".
There are a lot of resources on the county extension websites for plant materials if you "dig around'!
You probably have already done this but you absolutely positively have to amend your soil... the NC clay is a death sentence for most plants without some sort of soil amendment.
Finally, and you probably know this too, for many plants in the direct sunlight you have to water EVERY day once the temps warm up... Good luck!
I have very few annuals and use them only as fillers until my perennials get bigger. Are you preparing your soil correctly? adding what is needed after a ph test? Do you mulch? Use water conservative additives?
We have had droughts here so frequently, it just doesn't make sense to buy annuals. Perennials will give you so much more bang for your buck and of course they come back. After they are established, they do well in dry periods as well.
also go to the gardening forum and ask for favorites in your zone.
I use both perennials and annuals. It's a challenge to have a mix of perennials that bloom all season long plus I like the yearly opportunity to dig in the dirt to add spashes of color as fill-in. It sounds like lantana would be perfect for your needs. Very sturdy and drought tolerant. "Miss Huff" is supposed to be hardy in our area but I think that can be iffy. The bright yellow varieties are great for summer color.
Put me in the "I love lantana" group. It's pretty, hardy and the hummers love it. I also do perennials with a few annuals thrown in for an extra punch. Coleus (annual) also works good for me in my containers--I like the colors it comes in plus I don't have to dead-head any flowers. Win-Win.
I think you must be thinking of perennials. You want them to come back, correct?
As others have said, lantana works very well. There are different types - some spread, some trail, and others mound. They all love heat, but I've not had much success with them coming back.
Butterfly bushes do really well and are very hardy. The regular ones get really large, but there are some dwarf varieties as well.
Others include rudbeckia, coneflower, bee balm, butterfly weed, yarrow, purslane, portulaca and daylilies. Also, are you watering enough? Even drought/heat tolerant plants need to be watered until they're established. Oh and verbena. They'll usually come back no matter what. I had some in a hanging basket one year, and cut them back. I tossed the cuttings over the porch railing to pick up later. I had verbena coming up through the hard clay (where we can't even grow grass) for two or three years after. We finally dug it all up and put it in a flowerbed.
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