Flowers that Beat the Heat

Butterflies will flock to your garden when when you add the appropriately-named butterfly weed. Its clusters of orange, yellow, pink, and vermillion flowers appear in mid- to late summer, and are followed by thin, ornamental seed pods. Butterfly weed can reach 1 to 3 feet in height and is slow to emerge in the spring so mark its location well. Fairly drought-resistant, butterfly weed grows in many conditions except in soil that is wet or has lots of clay. It's a durable plant that is not susceptible to many pests or disease.