Tropical hibiscus does well in large containers in full sun.
April 18, 2025 - When it comes to sprucing up your landscape in East Texas, nothing adds life and color like warm season bedding plants and now is the time to plant them. These vibrant selections not only stand up to our sizzling summer heat but thrive in it, turning your garden into a tropical paradise from spring until frost. Whether you’re brightening up a flower bed, container, or curbside border, there are a number of standout plants that perform exceptionally well here. Thankfully they’re easy to care for once established.
One of the easiest for bold foliage impact is copper plant (Acalypha). This tropical beauty thrives in full sun and loves the heat, displaying rich coppery-bronze to pink leaves that seem to glow in the summer light. Although not grown for its flowers, the stunning foliage more than makes up for it. Be sure to give it plenty of space and weekly irrigation during June, July, and August if it doesn’t rain.
Lantana (Lantana) is another classic choice for a reason. This tough-as-nails tender perennial (often treated as an annual) bursts with clusters of yellow, orange, pink, red, or purple blooms that butterflies absolutely love. It’s deer-resistant, drought-tolerant, and blooms nonstop until frost. Just give it full sun and well-drained soil, and you’ll be rewarded all summer long.
For a fine-textured filler plant, Mexican heather (Cuphea) makes a charming addition. This low-growing, mounding plant features small lavender or white flowers and delicate foliage. It’s a great border or container plant and requires little maintenance aside from occasional trimming to shape.
Pentas (Pentas) are butterfly magnets. With star-shaped blooms in shades of red, pink, white, and lavender, they’re the perfect mid-sized plant for borders or mixed containers. Pentas are heat lovers and bloom best in full sun, although they’ll tolerate some afternoon shade.
If you need a soft blue touch, plumbago (Plumbago) fits the bill. This tropical shrub-like plant forms an airy mound of light blue flowers that feel cool even on the hottest day. It also comes in white and darker blue. Tropical plumbago thrives in full sun and well-drained soil, making it ideal for large containers or spots of color.
No warm-season color display would be complete without tropical hibiscus (Hibiscus). These large-flowered, lush-leaved showstoppers make you feel like you’re on vacation in your own backyard. Choose from a rainbow of colors—reds, pinks, oranges, yellows, and even bicolors. Tropical hibiscus prefer full sun, regular watering, and monthly feeding for continuous blooms. They are excellent in large containers but keep them watered regularly so they don’t drop their buds before opening.
East Texas summers are long and hot, but with the right plants, your garden can look like a resort all season long. Just give them sun, space, and a little love, and they’ll reward you with color that sizzles until frost.
Greg Grant, Ph.D., is the Smith County horticulturist and Master Gardener coordinator for the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service. He is the author of Texas Fruit and Vegetable Gardening, Texas Home Landscaping, Heirloom Gardening in the South, and The Rose Rustlers. You can read his “Greg’s Ramblings” blog at arborgate.com, read his “In Greg’s Garden” in each issue of Texas Gardener magazine (texasgardener.com), or follow him on Facebook at “Greg Grant Gardens” or “Rebel Eloy Emanis Wildlife Sanctuary.” More science-based lawn and gardening information from the Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Service can be found at aggieturf.tamu.edu and aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu
