Annual Flowers That Are Drought Resistant

Borage

• Able to become a fixture in your gardens through self-seeding, borage (Borago officinalis) grows to 3 feet. Its tolerance to drought and capacity for thriving in poor-quality soil make it an easy annual to grow. The plant blooms from June well into August, producing brilliant blue flowers. Borage has edible leaves that taste like cucumber, notes the Missouri Botanical Garden. Borage is an appropriate annual for herb gardens. It is native to the Mediterranean portion of Europe.

Weather Prophet

• Hot summer weather and drought do not deter the growth of an annual called weather prophet (Dimorphotheca pluvialis) -- a native of Africa. Weather prophet takes its name from its flowers closing before a rainfall. The annual grows to 12 inches high; although it withstands heat, humidity adversely affects it. Weather prophet works as a container plant and also in masses and in rock gardens. Plant weather prophet seeds after any chance of frost passes, or start them indoors about six weeks before the last frost and then transplant them outside.

Creeping Zinnia

• The creeping zinnia (Zinnia angustifolia) has solid drought tolerance during summer and it does not start to fade, as its cousin, the common zinnia, tends to do. Creeping zinnia is native to Mexico and the southeastern states, growing to 18 inches and blooming throughout the summer, often flowering into fall and the first frost. Creeping zinnia comes in many different cultivars, with the flower colors varying among pink, yellow, white, red and orange. Creeping zinnia grows best in full sunshine.

Purslane

• The low stature of purslane (Portulaca oleracea) makes it a good ground cover; the annual has no problem handling droughts. Native to India, purslane only grows 9 inches high, spreading out to twice that length. The cultivars with larger flowers (up to 2 inches across) than the parent species make good ornamental annuals. Purslane's flowers only open on sunny days. The annual grows in many types of soils and blooms the entire summer.