• To prevent wilting in the summer's heat, plant sun-loving flowers in your garden.garden scene image by John Fatuzzo from Fotolia.com
  
  Not all plants are equal. While some are "early risers," pushing out of the ground even when there's snow on the ground, others are heat-seekers, thriving only in the summer months. Those early bloomers would most certainly die when the mercury soars during the hot months. If you live in an area with intense summers, there are several flowers that are best for your garden.
  
  

Sunflower

• Native to North America and thriving in the hot summers of the Midwest, sunflowers are perennials that grow easily from seed and reach heights of up to 12 feet in just a few months. Although single-stem, bright yellow flowers are the most popular, there are many other varieties, some growing only 18 inches tall. The Mexican sunflower grows to half the height of the yellow sunflowers. They look like daises or zinnias, producing brilliant red-orange flower heads.
  
  

Zinnia

• Zinnias do well in hot conditions and come in many different colors.zinnia image by maslight from Fotolia.com
  
  Zinnias are from Mexico and the southern U.S., making it perfect for the summer heat. In fact, zinnias suffer during rainy periods, when they are at risk for mildew. Colors range from every shade except blue, adding bright punches to any garden. Dwarf varieties grow to about 12 inches, while larger varieties grow up to 6 feet tall.
  
  

Periwinkle

• These flowers do well in both the sun and shade and will hold up in extreme heat as long as they're watered often. The periwinkle plant is a perennial that produces flowers throughout the summer and comes in a wide variety of colors. Most grow upright to 18 inches, but there are also trailing varieties.
  
  

Salvia

• Salvia is drought-resistant but must be placed in shaded areas.red salvia image by Michelle Reimers from Fotolia.com
  
  Part of a huge family of plants that includes sage, ornamental salvia prefers full sun, and most are drought-resistant if placed in the shade in areas that reach high temperatures. The plants have long slender stems that support multiple flowers that come in blue, violet, purple, red, pink and white. Salvia is a perennial flower in its native southern U.S. and Mexican regions, but in northern areas, it is treated as an annual.
  
  

Verbena

• A perennial, the verbena x hybrida cultivar of the verbena family is most tolerant of hot and dry conditions. It grows in full sun but may cease flowering in drought-like conditions until watered. Its flowers are purple, lavender, pink, mauve, apricot or white, and it blooms from spring until fall, growing in clumps and reaching heights of 6 to 10 inches.
  
  

Marigold

• African marigolds are perfect for sunny, hot areas.orange marigold image by Svetlana Tikhonova from Fotolia.com
  
  The most common two marigolds found in gardens today are the French and African. The latter does best in sunny conditions in moist, well-drained areas. It can survive in extreme heat, though it reduces the quality of flowers. African marigolds can grow taller than 3 feet with big, round orange and yellow flower heads
  
  

Begonia

• This drought-tolerant flower is easy to care for, which makes it popular with landscapers. Choose the bronze-leafed variety if you have hot summers, as it is usually more tolerant of sunny conditions. The begonia is an annual that does well in the full sun but will require shade in areas with intense summers. Begonia flowers are pink, white and red.