I have a dwarf zinnia that did real well in pots and ground. No problems with mildew either until the last couple weeks. It's time to yank them anyways so I've been very pleased with them.

Portulaca is very drought tolerant.
Dana

Calibrachoa (million bells) has been very drought tolerant for me. I grow it in pots, some of which only get watered once a month. Cuphea and Euphorbia marginata also perform well, and I think Acalypha would be a winner if the deer didn't keep eating it.

Cleome in the garden, especially volunteers.

Torenia! These reseed all over for me and in all colors. I have planters I just leave out for them - they'll be along in spring. They do need a bit of water from time to time (especially in containers) but not as much as a lot of plants and they look fantastic - fresh, upright and blooming like wild - through the hottest, most miserable weather.

cosmos. all the zinnias did well for me, as did black eyed susan vine and purple lab-lab

Surprisingly enough I have found sun coleus planted in morning sun to be pretty resilent even ones I planted in mid to late summer to fill in empty spots. They are invaluable now providing gorgeous color in gardens that looked pretty sad. Adele

Dichondra argentea ÂSilver FallsÂ
Red pentas
Blue ageratum.

I was just outside with my greyhound and realized that I'd forgotten completely about the osteospermums in my garden. I have not given them one drop of supplemental water since mid-July. They were mulched well back in June. They are on a slope in full sun and still blooming with lush green foliage. I haven't fertilized them at all. I don't deadhead them and the deer don't eat them.

Cameron

Bountiful Gardens has a good drought selection of seeds. You can enter 'drought' into the search box or they have a drought tolerant collection under the collections link.

Here is a link that might be useful: Bountiful Gardens

I probably spelled that wrong, but I was looking over the Bountiful Gardens site, and it says that you can trap white flies on nicotiania plants, or at least this variety (can't tell if it is specific or general info about this annual flower). They grow well here in the sandy soil I have. Sounds like I need to put them around my Gardenia next year. :o>

Here is a link that might be useful: Nicotiania

My volunteer annual vinca has gone gangbusters all summer w/o any additional help - also volunteer cockscomb (not my favorite plant but at least it was alive and blooming). All of the reseeders seemed to do better than the ones I started and planted out - I guess they were just tough little seeds to begin with ......

Lynne

My white 4 o'clocks have done very well and the white thumbergia has done too well, lol.

Linda:

You mentioned Torenia... I wanted to try it this year (I'm in SC midlands, too) but went with Bacopa... it's done really well in concrete containers on my northwestern-exposure (but with lots of late afternoon sun) side porch.

I'd like to try the Torenia, though... there's a really pretty purple one with some yellow markings on it... I think it has "clown" in the name (?). I'm worried about late afternoon sun, though. How were your's positioned?

Claudia

Claudia, most of mine are on or beside the back deck, which faces toward the east (slightly southeast). Since they choose to come up very freely in the planters and pots back there I assume they are happy with that exposure. They do get direct sun for part of the day there but it is morning sun, not the blazing afternoon light.

This year they also came up in my part shade bed for the first time and some even appeared under some towering cosmos where they couldn't have been getting much light. I didn't even know they were there until I cleared the cosmos a bit.

I consider them a "bright shade" plant and wouldn't put them in full sun even though one has recently popped up in the front of my aster bed where it has full sun all day. Go figure.

Probably the trick to having torenia reseed is not to be too religious about deadheading. It's one of the few plants whose spent blooms do not make me itch to remove them so they get overlooked when it comes to grooming. Heaven knows there are enough other ones that MUST be seen to! Since I absolutely love finding the torenia popping up all over that works out very well.

If you don't mind that they are several generations away from named varieties, Claudia, I'd be happy to see if I can catch you some seeds. I have at least two purples with yellow - both have dark purple markings but one has a white background where the other is a lighter purple.

Thanks, Linda... I'd love some! I can send you a self-addressed envelope w/postage if that works for you.

Claudia

melampodium (? spelling) is cheery, easy to grow from seed and drought resistant.

Petunias, Impatiens, Coleus, Marigolds are all tired out about now; but the Begonias are still going full stride! They will be a keeper for the annual pots. I do not know how they fare in the ground.......Dianne

Rain in the forecast for Thurs and Fri for RDU.... :D

Claudia, I sent you an email. Hope it comes through!

Lantana always does well for me in dry weather.

Salvias lady in red, coral and snow nymph also did great this year with little water.

I can't say enough good things about Evolvulus 'Blue Daze' and Euphobia 'Diamond Frost'. I've watered them about 4 times this year and they are fabulous. They make great companions in the garden.
Pam