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| Photo Credit: Jessie Keith |
| Don't relegate your peppers to the vegetable garden - the spicy hot color of 'Treasures Red' ornamental pepper add plenty of flavor planted en masse. |
When the weather sizzles, I like my garden to sizzle too. Heat-loving, hot-colored annuals in shades of red, orange and yellow make for fantastic fiery displays that are sure to impress. These colorful plants also look fitting for July, August and September when the temperatures rise and droughts are more prevalent.
There are many annuals to choose from that can heat up your garden - most from tropical regions. But it's always nice to plant tried-and-true selections that will be sure to glow in the heat of the summer. Here are eight super-hot summer annuals that will do well in almost any well-drained, sunny summer garden. The apricot-orange flowers of Agastache 'Apricot Sprite' bloom nonstop all summer and attract a bevy of pollinators. Flowers are born on bushy, drought-tolerant plants that reach 18 inches in height. In Northern gardens, these fragrant mints are tender perennials treated as annuals, but they will survive winters in Zone 7 or warmer. | Add Photo to Journal |  | | Photo Credit: Jessie Keith | | The bright yellow blooms of Bidens 'Golden Star' brighten up bed edges. |
Bright yellow Bidens 'Golden Star' is super easy to grow. The annual mixes mix well with other hot colors and can really take the heat. They grow to about 12 inches tall and form low, spreading clumps, making them perfect for bed edges. These carefree summer annuals bloom all season, require no deadheading and make great container plants.
Capsicum annuum, better known as ornamental peppers, make a strong statement in late summer beds. Their attractive fruits come in shades of red, orange, yellow or purple, and all are edible and spicy. Some more pleasing cultivars include 'Treasures Red', which has very bright orange/red peppers, and the All-America Selection 'Black Pearl', which boasts purple foliage and round, purple fruit that turns bright red when mature. These bushy annuals generally grow to 1 or 2 feet tall and look best in the garden from late July to October.
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