Full sun? These plants will positively thrive!

Various plants that thrive in full sun

Though most plants appreciate having lots of sun, not all of them thrive in full sun.

Full sun usually goes together with dust-dry soil and high temperatures. Discover a list of plants that can take all the sun you can give them, and more!

Full sun perennials

Yarrow

  • Variety: Achillea ‘Moonshine’
  • Achillea 'Moonshine' is a variety of yarrow that does particularly well in hot sunHeight: 1½ feet (0.45m)
  • Blooming period: June to September
  • Feature: its bright yellow corymb-shaped flowers that pair well with its gray-green leafage
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: good drainage, neutral to chalky, peat
  • Cherry on the top? Does a great job as a ground cover, in flower beds, and on rocky terrain.

Garden pink

  • Variety: Dianthus plumarius ‘Haytor white’
  • Height: under 1 foot (0.25m)
  • Blooming period: from May to July, then again in September
  • Feature: small white frilly pompom-shaped flowers on, again, gray-green leaves.
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: dry or even rocky, neutral to alkaline
  • Cherry on the top? Its sweet, fragrant scent.

Agapanthus

  • Variety: Agapanthus ‘Northern Star’
  • Height: 2½ feet (0.75 cm)
  • Blooming period: from July to September
  • Feature: cute, spherical blue inflorescence at the tip of tall, upright green stems
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: rich and draining
  • Cherry on the top? Agapanthus grows easily on the coast, in urban settings, in containers or in any type of soil as long as it drains well.

Shrubs that love sun

Calistemon (Lemon bottle-brush)

  • Variety: Callistemon (x) laevis
  • Bottlebrush will always score points for originality, and strong sunlight boosts the bloomingHeight: 6 feet (1.80m)
  • Blooming period: May-June and August-September
  • Feature: cute red flowers look like utensils to clean bottles, hence the common name
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: well-drained and deep, neutral to acidic
  • Cherry on the top? Its green and lance-shaped sempervirens leaves

American Agave

  • Variety: Agave americana ‘variegata’
  • Height: 5 feet (1.50m)
  • Blooming period: from July to August
  • Feature: its green and yellow mottled rosette
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: very dry, rocky, poor
  • Cherry on the top? Agave is ideal in very dry gardens, in full sun. It makes flower beds look very exotic.

Ceanothus

  • Variety: Ceanothus arboreus ‘Trewithen Blue’
  • Height: 12 feet (4 m)
  • Blooming period: from May to July
  • Feature: a top flower-bearing shrub that forms uncountable small blue panicles at the end of spring.
  • Exposure: sun, part sun
  • Soil: well drained
  • Cherry on the top? Its evergreen foliage that hides you from prying eyes all year long!

Climbing plants to grow in full sun

Large-flowered trumpet vine

  • Variety: Campsis grandiflora
  • Campsis grandiflora flower will do great in full sunHeight: 21 feet (7 m)
  • Blooming period: August to October
  • Feature: its trumpet-like flowers with a yellow heart and orange petals
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: rich and draining
  • Cherry on the top? Rapid growth that lets it cover a wall or trellis over very quickly.

Clematis

  • Variety: Clematis ‘Barbara Harrington’
  • Height: 9 feet (3 m)
  • Blooming period: May-June and August-September
  • Feature: flowers with intense pink strips on each petal, with a heart of yellow stamens.
  • Exposure: sun, part sun
  • Soil: cool, rich and well-draining (cover the foot with ground-cover perennials for the base to stay in the shade).
  • Cherry on the top? Is hardy down to 5°F (-15°C).

Passion flower

  • Variety: Passiflora x ‘Essenza’
  • Height: 15 feet (4 m)
  • Blooming period: from July to September
  • Feature: its very original flowers, composed of violet tepals and long violet, white and blue filaments with wavy tips. At the heart of the flower, massive yellow, dotted stamens appear.
  • Exposure: full sun
  • Soil: deep and draining well
  • Cherry on the top? This not-so-hardy plant (28°F or -2 °C) also grows well in pots for an easy transfer to a greenhouse.

Image credits (edits: Gaspard Lorthiois):
© CC BY 2.0: Mark Wordy, Andrey Zharkikh
© CC BY-SA 2.0: bluefootedbooby