I live in Arizona where the heat can reach as high as 128 - 130 degrees in the hottest part of the summer. What plants can survive here? I would like to grow something that flowers.

A few questions first:
How will you water these plants--drip, hose, none or?
Can you provide full or part shade?
Do you have raised beds and/or native soil? What's the soil like?
Are you interested in having a three-season garden (Fall-Winter-Spring)? A lot of desert plants are dormant in the hottest part of the year, there's very little that will flower in the dry summer heat.
What plants are your neighbors having success with?
It's a tough environment, but there might be some options for you!

Here's a link to some recommendations for natives, I'm not sure who published this:
https://www.lhcaz.gov/docs/def...
Also, you might check what local nurseries recommend and have available.
Are there any garden clubs in the area? Any Master Gardeners?

Perovskia atripicifolia (Russian sage) will easily handle 105°F in full sun and provide flowers if watered semi-regularly, but I literally have no clue if it can survive 130°F.

ElPolloDiablo said:Perovskia atripicifolia (Russian sage) will easily handle 105°F in full sun and provide flowers if watered semi-regularly, but I literally have no clue if it can survive 130°F.

NOOOOO!!! Most invasive plant on earth. Idaho actually offered a bounty on Russian Sage bodies a few years ago.

Look around to see what your neighbors are growing.

I will be planting in containers. There's very little full shade on the front porch. There's some full sun/partial shade under the eaves of the roof in the front yard (East side) and on the side of the house facing South. I will be watering with a watering can or hose. I also have to use decorative cages over the plants to keep the cottontail rabbits from eating them. I don't know about the neighbors but I will check out the nursery. I do have a few cactus plants that flower and Aloe Vera plants. Oh and they also have very high winds here fairly frequently. It's taking some getting used to. Thank you for your input. I truly appreciate it.

Okay, definitely no Russian Sage. That's good to know about Idaho. I will be moving there within the year. What I plant here now will be inherited by my daughter. Your comments are very helpful. Thanks again.

I think anything planted in pots will need to monitored for watering. Like every day. Maybe twice a day!
I believe there are some salvias that might fit the bill; yuccas, succulents, and maybe echinaceas. Almost all flowering plants will need some shade; they will also need more water! Zoe is a member that is in Arizona; she had a flowering sage in full sun all day and the sun was actually bleaching out the colors of the blooms! She moved it and gave it shade for half the day and it is doing much better.

Thank you to everyone. This is all very helpful information.

Great Scott! I thought I would have suggestions but I would just be moving somewhere else if I encountered THAT heat, not looking for plants. Best luck!

purpleinopp said:Great Scott! I thought I would have suggestions but I would just be moving somewhere else if I encountered THAT heat, not looking for plants. Best luck!

"But its a dry heat."

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/...

First used in 1910 to adverise Southern California and since used in dozens of movies and on thousands of T-shirts.

LOL! It is, like an oven. I've been to San Antonio in July & it was 114. It felt like inhaling fire to breathe while walking down the street.

gardenfish said:
Zoe is a member that is in Arizona; she had a flowering sage in full sun all day and the sun was actually bleaching out the colors of the blooms! She moved it and gave it shade for half the day and it is doing much better.

Actually, Zoë is in New Mexico and it's true about the salvia. We don't get those temps (yikes!) but because of our altitude the sun is more intense than the temperature suggests.

Anything apart from cactus will droop mid-day but if it perks up by the next morning it's fine. Moonshine yarrow might work and even lavender. Strangely, honeysuckle does well here. Globe mallow (sphaeralcea ambigua), santolina, rosemary. Just ideas...I can't imagine keeping pots watered in heat like that! I avoid having anything in a small pot in the summer, but I do use lots of large ceramic pots. Use mulch.

Anything will need some shade. From now until about late July if you place pots along the north side of your house they'll get morning & afternoon sun but mid-day shade, assuming you have eaves. Your east exposure is good.

Good luck!

I'm loving all the information. At least I have an idea where to start. Yes it's a dry heat but still extreme and it doesn't finally cool down until the end of October to mid November. When I got back in my car after shopping last August the temperature was 138 degrees inside. It was almost unbearable until the air conditioner kicked in. Anyway, I just want to make the best of it while I'm here and help my daughter get some plants established. I'm hoping I'll be in Idaho with my son next year. Then I'll have to start all over again. Thanks again for all the information.

DaisyI said:

NOOOOO!!! Most invasive plant on earth. Idaho actually offered a bounty on Russian Sage bodies a few years ago.

Look around to see what your neighbors are growing.

Funny thing I have been trying to propagate mine (Blue Spire) from seed for years and never succeeded. Have they got a secret in Idaho?
Equally funny thing, towns here have been planting them because they are low maintenance (pruning once a year) and drought tolerant but they aren't propagating. The same cannot be said about Bay laurel which is now literally everywhere. And nobody is offering a bounty for that.

My neighbor planted a couple in her yard and I'm down wind.

Hello MMMS,
Just a suggestion, but how about doing your daughter a big favor and planting a tree? I'd site it where it would shade the front of the house for starters. I'm partial to Argentine or Chilean Mesquite. They need some care to get established, but make a great shade tree once they get going, and do fine with the heat. The native honey mesquite don't get very big, so don't give much shade.
It's probably best to plant in the Fall or Winter, should be available at your local nurseries.
re Container plants in hot weather: it's important to keep the roots as cool as possible. Find a way to shade the pot itself, that will help.

I second the tree idea. A few, perhaps.

Another possible resource: here in NM, the Water Authority created an excellent
publication showing waterwise, mostly native plants — trees, vines, shrubs, groundcovers and flowering plants. It's tremendously useful. Maybe your water company has something similar.

Lake Havasu Waterless Boat Race

I have read some articles that advise homeowners to prune Perovskia back in the fall to prevent seeding issues. Some articles say it spreads rampantly and others don't even mention it. I am in Zone 6 Ohio and have not had any issues with it running rampant - even without pruning. Could be the wet weather/wet winters here. It requires good drainage, and mine has lasted many years in the same location.