Full Sun Plants That *Really* Tolerate Full Sun

When we bought this house in 2022, the yard was completely overgrown — and I mean COMPLETELY overgrown. It had been left untouched for decades and wisteria, weeds, decaying trees – even a few little saplings (brought to you by squirrels burying acorns) covered every inch of the property. We brought in an excavator and had a portion of the land leveled out so we’d be working with a blank slate.

It was great to finally see our yard but this meant we were left with absolutely no shade. Since this is a south-facing property, our gardens see full, blazing sun for the entire day. Over the past couple of years, I’ve found that even plants marketed as “full sun friendly” struggle and choke in our yard, especially during New Jersey summers. Plants that claim they can “tolerate” full sun may still prefer some afternoon shade — which we simply don’t get.

So this year, when planning our first bulk plant purchase, I wanted to research plants that not only tolerate full sun but actually prefer scorching hot weather. So far, this full-sun garden is absolutely thriving, even through some record heat waves reaching over 100 degrees.

One more thing before we dive in: nearly every plant on this list still wants consistently moist soil and benefits from deep root watering. We use a soaker hose along with [this timer from Amazon] that makes it easy and helps everyone thrive.

Roses, Roses, and More Roses

Most rose varieties want at least 6 hours of daily sun, and many actually prefer lots of heat and even afternoon sun. Varieties like Knock Outs (shrubs), Hybrid Teas (long stem), and most climbers thrive even in hot, southern states, making them perfect for our stubbornly sunny yard. We have tons of roses and plan to keep adding more, since they’ve proven to be low maintenance and put on such a show.

Knock Out roses — Zone 4–9, 3–4 ft tall and wide.

Climbers — Cl. Pinkie ([link to Heirloom Roses]) — Zone 6–9, 8–12 ft tall, 6–8 ft wide. Cl. Pinkie is meant to bloom all season, but since ours are new, they’re not quite there yet — they’ve grown X amount since being planted last fall.

Joseph’s Coat climber — Zone 5–9, 8–12 ft tall, 4–6 ft wide.

Hybrid Tea Zone 4–9, 3–6 ft tall, 2–3 ft wide (varies by variety).

Planted as a cutting garden for arrangements, I have multiple colors and varieties that couldn’t be happier! I purchased these, bare root, at Lowe’s in the spring for about $15 each.

Little Mischief Zone 4–9, 2–3 ft tall, 2–4 ft wide

I bought these on clearance at Lowe’s last summer and planted as a hedge along the front of our house. I’m not in love with how floppy they are, but they bloom like crazy and have grown rapidly.

Coneflowers Zone 3–8, 2–4 ft tall, 18–24 in wide

These pollinators absolutely thrive in full sun! Available in multiple colors but most common in this beautiful purple hue, our plants have grown to over 3 ft tall in just a few months — and the bees and butterflies will thank you.

Butterfly Bush

Speaking of butterflies, attract tons of winged friends with a butterfly bush! This shrub loves 8+ hours of sunlight and comes in a variety of colors. The blooms are also fantastic for floral arrangements, adding a little movement to a bouquet. Zone 5–9, 6–12 ft tall, 4–10 ft wide (size varies quite a bit by cultivar — dwarf varieties stay closer to 3–5 ft).

Russian Sage

Russian sage is a member of the Salvia genus and looks a bit like lavender (another heat-loving plant). This plant is amazing for border beds, adds incredible texture, and grows like crazy in the right conditions. We saw so much Russian sage on one of our trips to Martha’s Vineyard, and I immediately fell in love with its casual beauty. It comes in a few shades, but the most popular is this soft purple-blue. Zone 4–9, 3–4 ft tall, 2–4 ft wide.

Lamb’s Ear Zone 4–8, 6–18 in tall, 12–24 in wide

This one really surprised me — I’m not sure why, but between the cool tones and the fuzzy leaves, I assumed lamb’s ear would be a shade plant. But no! Lamb’s ear absolutely loves heat and lots of sun. It’s a great ground cover for adding texture to a bed. .

Hollyhocks

Zone 3–9 (some sources list zones 2–10), 5–8 ft tall, 1–2 ft wide.

Crape Myrtles

Zone 6–9 (most reliably hardy from zone 7 up — worth choosing a cold-hardy cultivar like ‘Dynamite’ or ‘Zuni’ at our zone 7b), size ranges enormously by variety, from 6 ft dwarf shrubs to 25 ft trees.

Boxwoods

Zone 5–9, size ranges from 2 to 20 ft tall depending on variety — most common landscape cultivars stay in the 3–6 ft range.

Plants I Thought Would Thrive but Haven’t

Hydrangeas — we’ve struggled with all hydrangea varieties, including the ever-hardy Limelight. While Limelights are very hardy (zone 3–9, 6–8 ft tall and wide), they still need some relief from afternoon sun to survive. We have a few pockets of space in our front yard where we’ve had great success with Limelights, but any planted in direct, full-day sun have gone crispy and lacked any real growth.