Looking for some plants and flowers for your garden that can take the heat and that are drought-tolerant? In other words, are you on the hunt for some super easy flowers and plants? I get a lot of questions from my friends, co-workers and followers about my garden, and what kinds of flowers are “easy” in the hot Charleston summers. Well, luckily, there are some really great options out there! While the summer heat drags on, I’ll be doing a series of posts on easy heat and drought tolerant plants – starting right now with the MANDEVILLA!

The Mandevilla, sometimes called Brazilian Jasmine, is a super versatile flower! It can be grown in pots like a regular flower, but is also a vine and works very well on mailboxes, trellises, fences, hanging baskets, etc. It also grows pretty quickly (I bought some super tiny ones and they were about 1-2 feet tall and blooming like crazy within about at month. It can handle super hot temperatures, low watering, and all sorts of lighting conditions.  I have some in full sun and some that are in almost full-shade.  The ones I have in full sun have a few more flowers than the full shade ones, but the ones in full shade still have a lot of flowers.

Another great thing about the mandevilla is that it blooms pretty constantly and comes in a variety of colors. You will pretty much only see pink, red and sometimes white at Lowes and Home Depot.  But you can get some really amazing hybrids and interesting colors online.  Check these out:

Anyone know any other cool types of mandevilla variations? I’d love to see them! Tag me on Instagram @franc_and_eli or leave a comment below!

I hope this was helpful! Let me know what else you’d like to see – any specific flower or plant you’re struggling with?