Perennials for hot summers

Succulents. Huge variety in shapes and sizes. Love hot walls. Not so keen on clay soil.

They're not drought tolerant, but what about cannas? Big leaves, love heat. A tougher option would be bird of paradise.

Hi Yvonne, welcome! This is a great forum with lots of very helpful people.

These don't have large leaves, but Verbena and Penstemon do extremely well here in all-day hot summer sun in front of a retaining wall in amended clay soil. The Verbena in particular doesn't even seem to notice the heat, but goes right on pumping out those violet blooms that cover the plant virtually all year, even now.

Jen

A few more choices:

Agapanthus LILY-OF-THE-NILE
Anigozanthos KANGAROO PAW
Hemerocallis DAYLILY
Kniphofia TORCH LILY, RED-HOT POKER
Phormium tenax NEW ZEALAND FLAX
Romneya coulteri MATILIJA POPPY

By the way, in what SWGB zone do you garden?

Joe

I have a hot, south-facing wall with the following native CA plants thriving next to it:
Ceanothus Ray Hartman (a wild lilac hybrid)
Eriogonum giganteum (St. Catherine's Lace)
Arctostaphylos glauca (Big Berry Manzanita)
along with some salvias, a few native grasses & some leymus (Blue Wild Rye).
They need regular water their 1st summer, but are low water & low maintenance after that. The birds have been happy with them, too.

I forgot to add that my soil is heavy clay. It was turned over before planting, and some pearlite was added, but otherwise it has no amendments. I've got shredded bark mulch on top.

Hi "toyon", "catkim", "patrick_in_fb", "jen", "gardenguru1950", and "bluemonster"!

Thank you all so much for sharing your experience and plant suggestions. It's a very large border (in linear feet), and I'll need a lot of plants to fill it!

BTW, the soil is ammended clay, and the site is located in-
between Sunset Garden Zones 22 and 23. As for myself, I live in the historic area of Whittier, near the hills, Zone 23. Anyone live near me?

Thanks Again All!

Yvonne

Mexican feather grass, Tangerine Crossvine (will require water), cotoneaster, desert willow, purple corn flower, verbena, daylily, cactus, Lavender (poor soil)..red yucca...crown of