As the hottest weather of the year settles in, Valley gardens tend to lose their luster. But triple-digit temperatures don’t have to mean a moratorium on color. “People are often surprised that summer gardens can be so vibrant,” says landscape designer Katie Coates. “There are lots of colors to be had; you just need to know where to find them.” 

Here, four Valley landscapers share their favorite Sonoran summer stunners.

KATIE COATES
Landscape Designer

In Arizona, bright colors, including yellow, red, orange, raspberry and pink, are easy to find in blooming native and desert-adapted shrubs and vines. But in plants that like full sun exposure, blues and purples are a little harder to come by. I am partial to the Sweet Memories sky flower for its deep blue-violet cascading flowers and bright lime-green foliage. It is a great choice for homeowners who desire a more lush or tropical element that attracts pollinators. Sky flower also makes a wonderful living screen or larger background shrub to provide privacy and soften a hardscape.

JAYSON JOYCE
Maintenance Manager

My favorite color accent for summer gardens is Lindheimer’s beeblossom. Available in white or pink, this sun-loving perennial produces flowers on long reedlike stems. Even in a slight breeze the flowers bob and dance, creating movement in the garden. Beeblossom also attracts butterflies and hummingbirds. This plant received the Royal Horticultural Society’s Award of Garden Merit, which recognizes plants that are proven performers. 

PEGGY DE LA GARZA
Landscape Designer

The tangerine beauty crossvine is an easy-to-grow shrub that has been a staple of my landscape designs for almost a decade. I love this perennial because, in addition to the blanket of fragrant orange flowers it produces, it will attach itself to almost any surface, from a wall to a trellis or arch, it will even creep over boulders. It’s a real knockout. 

Another favorite, the Alexandra bougainvillea is a gorgeous deep fuchsia/purple. In addition to its showy color, it doesn’t go wild like other bougainvillea, such as the Barbara Karst (Bougainvillea ‘Barbara Karst’), but stays compact and has a high concentration of blooms without a lot of debris. It brings a lot of show-stopping color that lasts through the summer and into the early winter months.

BENNETT McGREGOR
Landscape Designer

Because of its lilac-colored flowers and deep green leaves, the blue hibiscus is a favorite of mine. This shrub brings major impact to a yard; it catches your eye and rewards it as you move through the landscape. As a high-impact focal plant, it is bright in the same way that bougainvillea is—very commanding with a lot of vibrant color. It is used frequently as a hedge, but I love it in its natural form.