Heat Stall: Caring for Nonblooming Annuals

As the temperatures rise many annuals slow down or stop flowering. Don’t let heat stall stop you from enjoying your summer garden.

Look for more heat tolerant cultivars of annuals that tend to stop blooming during hot weather. Techno and Laguna lobelia, Snow Princess and Frosty Knight alyssum are a few to consider. Or plant more heat tolerant African and triploid marigolds in place of the French varieties.

Continue to water heat stalled flowers but do not fertilize. Once the temperatures cool the plants will start flowering. Trim back leggy plants as needed.

This is a good time to make a list of the plants that thrive in these conditions. Use this list to help you design future gardens better suited to the dog days of summer.

And consider trying a few heat tolerant flowers like celosia, moss rose, Mexican sunflower and zinnia.

A bit more information: Here are a few more heat tolerant annuals to consider: cosmos, Gazania (treasure flower), lantana, sunflower and creeping zinnia. Or add a container of cacti and succulents. These can be moved indoors for you to enjoy in the winter.