Other gardeners often ask me what perennials I like that are heat-loving and deer resistant, as well as what has survived the years.

Although I have written many posts about my favourites, I have combined all my articles into one, adding FIFTY new perennials that are tough as nails.

Also, I have indicated whether they bloom in the early or mid-summer season (or both!). To read more about late-summer flowering plants, click here.

Keep in mind that deer’s appetite varies from region to region and can even vary within a small area, which will affect your experience.

It’s also the season. After a hot, long summer, deer are hungry in the late fall.

This list has proven to be successful for me over the past several decades.

Here they are all together! These perennials are heat-loving and deer-resistant, and they will survive a scorching summer.

Stokesia (Stokes Aster), zone 5-9, deer resistant, blooms in early summer

The Stokesia in my garden is my sign that summer has arrived!

Check out the colour of Blue Frills! This variety’s flowers are a vibrant bluish purple on upright stems, with dark green leaves—an excellent addition to a parched garden.

Flowers are huge (3-4 inches across) and begin to bloom when the mid-summer heat really starts.

This plant is a favourite of many pollinators. Whenever I want to take a picture of a butterfly, I go out to the.

These are perfect plants for the front of my border. They grow to 2’x2″ and thrive in my sunny BAKING HEAT border.

2. Monardella Macrantha “Marian Sampson” (Scarlet Monardella), zones 6-10. Deer resistant. Blooms in early to mid-summer.

This perennial grows to a neat 6″ by 12″ in my garden.

This is the perfect perennial for tight spaces (like this one between my patio and granite boulders).

You can still see the bright red flowers in the garden, despite their size. The 2-inch-long clusters of tubular feathery flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds.

3. Cosmos atrosanguineus (Chocolate Cosmos), zones 9-11. Deer resistant, blooms in early to mid-summer.

Chocolate Cosmo is one of my favourite perennials.

The velvety maroon flower has a vanilla-chocolate fragrance that butterflies love on a warm, sunny day.

This perennial thrives in warm climates and really shines when temperatures rise.

If you live in a cold climate, you can dig up the tubers and store them over the winter or grow them as an annual.

This is a beautiful plant when planted next to grasses. The 24″ wands blend in with the grass blades.

Chocolate Cosmos are all over my garden. But some of my favourite plants are in a small garden bed bordering my pool.

My daughter asked me to plant strawberries here a few years back so that she could eat them while swimming up (or forage when she is hungry …)

Here is the version of Chocolate Covered Strawberries that I grow in my garden!

4. Helichrysum Amorginum “Ruby Clusters” (Strawflower, Curry Plant), zones 8-11. Deer resistant, blooms in early to mid-summer.

Ruby Clusters are a great option for a dry and hot spot on the border.

Silver foliage can grow to 10″ x 16″. It really stands out when green plants surround it.

The show begins when the dark pink buds appear first in spring.

They start as small ruby-red balls, open up to pink and then turn soft yellow. The flowers will remain on the plant for 4 weeks (or until you have deadheaded them).

The helichrysums I have grown are so good that I added another variety to my garden, ‘Ember Glow.

The soft apricot ball that appears first is my favourite (don’t you think they look amazing with the orange-red Berberis behind them?)

Several years back, I grew another variety of strawflower (below) from a small cut. This is Helichrysum Italicum, and I LOVE its long-lasting yellow flowers and curry-scented leaves. I let the faded flower on the plant for a few more months to appreciate the soft tan colour before I trim it back.

5. Calylophus hartwegii’ Texas Gold’ (Sun Drops) zones 5-9, deer-resistant, blooms early-mid summer

This hardy little Western native is adorned with cheery yellow flowers that bees love.

I planted this one a few summers ago, and it always blooms on a six-month cycle before taking its much-needed rest. SIX MONTHS!

Sundrops are drought-tolerant and prefer full sun and well-drained soil.

Sun Drops can tolerate heat reflected from the driveway. They are therefore ideal for planting next to it.

After it has finished flowering, I will cut it in half to give it some rest before it starts up again in a couple of weeks.

6. Platycodon Grandiflorus (Balloon Flower), zones 3-9. It is deer-resistant and blooms in early to mid-summer.

Three years ago, I cultivated these plants from seeds I had collected years before. Patience pays off!

Once they decide to stay, they grow stronger and stronger every year.

The crazy colours that appear randomly on the flowers (below) are what I love the most.

7. Senecio cineraria (Dusty Miller) zones 8-11, deer-resistant, blooms early-mid summer

The only area of my garden which does not receive any  irrigation (Click here for some really awful ‘before photos’!)

While I try to water it, it really only gets a little every few weeks.

This Senecio is tough, indeed! This grouping has been around for three years, and it only asks that I show it a little love.

After it blooms, I cut it back to about 1/3 and then deadhead.

8. Agapanthus, also known as the Nile Lily, is a zone 8-10 plant that does not bloom until early summer.

It’s confession time. I used to be a big fan of the agapanthus. They’re so common. In California, they seem to grow everywhere to the point that it’s a little boring.

After moving into my new garden, I faced many new challenges (intense temperatures, deer browsing, a non-functioning irrigation system, etc.). I’ve changed my mind.

I LOVE AGAPANTHUS. I love anything that showers flowers on me without me doing much!

In the last few years, I have tried several new varieties of Sunset’s Plant Collection, which are now at the top of my wish list.

First, Sunset’s Agapanthus “Ever White,” a sweet dwarf variety that grows to only 1 1/2″ x 1 1/2″.

I like the size of this variety, because many other common varieties can grow enormously (I have clumps that are 6′ wide by 6′ high when in bloom).

The crisp, cool, white flowers of ‘Ever White” are welcome on a hot, humid day.

Did I mention that they can re-bloom? The flowers will bloom all summer long, unlike other varieties.

This second variety has stunning white and blue flowers that are a striking contrast to the more common shades of blue.

The plant is a bit taller than Ever White, reaching a height of 2’x2″ (add another foot when the flowers begin to bloom).

The strappy leaves are not as appealing to deer.

Deer will stay away from the plants for several weeks after spraying Deer Out on them.

I discovered ‘Summer Sky,’ another variety that I love, at Home Depot. Since then, I’ve seen many variegated types in nurseries with the same look but different names.

The foliage is beautiful and complements the succulents below. But the light blue blooms are equally lovely.

Hummingbirds also think so (if you look carefully, you can see one in the middle of the flower on the left).

9. Phygelius CandyDropsTM Tangerine (Cape Fuchsia), zones 6-9. Deer resistant, blooms mid-summer.

The compact variety was originally developed for containers. Mine lived in a container for many years. I brought an oversized container with me when I moved here five years ago. I saw it there, and I assumed that it was only for temporary storage.

It was growing and growing due to my TOTAL NEGLIGENCE (I was unpacking and dealing with the chaos of moving). I decided to save it and plant it in the garden.

It has rewarded me ever since with soft apricot blossoms for weeks.

It is about 2 feet tall, so it’s smaller and more compact than the other common varieties, which can reach up to 4 feet and look woody and unkempt.

It thrives in partial sunlight (especially in my hot climate) and moderate water. (It’s near the bottom of my yard to benefit from the overspray of a nearby grass.

Monrovia’s Phygelius Colorburst yellow is another great variety. It has TONS and TONS of nectar-rich tubular flowers, which hummingbirds love.

This variety has survived our Lake Tahoe garden zone 6 and the crushing snow so far (knock on wood!

In my previous garden, I placed CandyDrops® ‘Red’ in a window box outside my office window. I loved watching the hummingbirds as I worked. Click here to view four versions of my windowbox.

10. Euphorbia charm, zone 6a-9. Deer resistant, blooms in early to mid-summer.

You probably already know that I cannot garden without euphorbias if you have been reading my blog for a while! (Click on this link to learn about some of my favourite varieties in my garden!

They’re SO tough in our area, requiring very little water, resisting browsing gophers/bunnies/deer, and are evergreen in our mild climate.

The ‘Charam’ variety is an excellent (though often hard to find) selection that grows to only 2’x2″.

This is an English hybrid with long, blue-green leaves and a compact form.

It’s the lime-green blossoms in spring that make me swoon.

The flowers fade over the summer, but the leaves remain green into the fall. (This is why I included it on this list of summer blooming plants.)