Beat The Heat: The Sunflower Alternative That Can Handle Harsh Summers

Sunflowers and their bright yellow blooms that track the sun are, of course, sun-loving plants. They can even tolerate drought conditions for a period of time. While you likely only think of yellow when you hear "sunflower," did you know there's another species that blooms red? Say hello to the Mexican sunflower (Tithonia rotundifolia).

The Mexican sunflower, also referred to as red sunflower (not surprisingly) and tithonia, is one of those garden flowers that'll have your summer beds bursting with color — even in extreme heat. Just like sunflowers, this flower blooms in the middle of summer, when the season's heat is on the rise, and lasts until the first frost.

With their orange-red color, Mexican sunflowers produce showy blooms that aren't quite as large as the common sunflower. And while sunflowers can measure up to 6 inches across (or more), tithonia blooms top out at around 3 inches in diameter.

Mexican sunflowers can grow up to 6 feet tall, however, making them excellent alternatives to sunflowers in providing some backdrop height to garden beds. But you don't even have to choose, as you can grow both flowers together. Both are known to be pollinator magnets, too.

When you're ready to plant Mexican sunflowers in your garden, keep in mind that this annual is not cold hardy. Regardless if you plant them in the soil directly or start them indoors, you'll want to wait until the last frost of spring. The same goes for red sunflower transplants. You can time it with your spring flowers: Once your garden's spring flowers are spent, replace them with these beautiful summer bloomers.

To keep the plants happy, be sure to grow tithonias in full sun. As for their soil, grow them in well-draining soil like clay, loam, and sand. Because red sunflowers grow up to 6 feet, consider providing them with stakes. Even at 3 feet (the low end of their height range), the flowers could benefit from structural support.

The drought-tolerant Mexican sunflower can grow as part of ornamental borders, butterfly gardens, and even rock gardens. In addition to drawing butterflies, the red sunflower is a low-maintenance flower that will attract hummingbirds and songbirds, too. However, this plant won't bring deer to your yard, as Mexican sunflowers are deer-resistant.

Once the plants have bloomed and the flowers start to fade, you can encourage a continuous floral show by deadheading your tithonias. However, once bloom time truly ends for the red sunflower in the fall, you may want to leave the seed heads alone for birds to enjoy over winter.