There are plenty of sun-loving plants from which to choose. Here is a selection of some of this year’s offerings for the sunny spots in your garden. However, even though these plants soak up the sun, they still need regular watering in hot, dry summers.

‘Royal Tapestry’ alternanthera Alternanthera dentata ‘Royal Tapestry’’ A colourful low-maintenance foliage plant. Grows 40-60 cm (16-24 in.) tall, but can be pinched or clipped to shape as desired. Foliage colour is darkest in sun. Can be used as an accent plant, groundcover, in hanging baskets or mixed containers. Goldalia™ Orange, Rose and Scarlet dahlias Dahlia Goldalia™ dThe three new Goldalia™ dahlias are absolute show stoppers. Along with outstanding wow appeal, these flowers are great for quick turns with their compact habit and excellent branching. Goldalias’™ will keep blooming happily all summer long. Grows 20-25 cm (8-10 in.) tall and wide. Luscious™ lantana Lantana Luscious™ series Luscious™ lantanas are a new series that add vibrancy, flower power and exceptional performance to the continuous blooming that lantanas are known for. Luscious™ ‘Lemonade’ is a low-maintenance grower with large clusters of dainty, pale yellow blooms. ‘Lemonade’ also has an upright mounding habit and smaller foliage that creates distinctive garden appeal. It will reach a height of 25-35 cm (10-14 in.). Luscious™ ‘Grape’ has larger blooms that form in clusters with a distinct white spot on opening flowers. Both are exceptional perfomers in the landscape. Full sun. ShockwaveTM petunia series Petunia ShockwaveTM The ShockwaveTM petunias start blooming early and continue throughout the heat of the summer. Low-maintenance, self-cleaning plants mound 20-25 cm (8-10 in.) tall in full sun. New colours this year are Ivory and Rose. Red Fox™ Empress™ verbena Verbena Red Fox™ Empress™ series Annual verbena has become a popular choice for hanging baskets and combination planters, and the Red Fox Empress series offers extra-large brilliant blooms in a wide range of colours. New colours in 2008 include: Red Fox™ Empress™ series Lavender Charme, Royal Blue, Strawberry Charme and Violet Impr. Tuscany™ verbena Verbena Tuscany™ verbena series This new series of verbena loves hot and dry growing conditions. Big florets form large bloom heads and the bushy plants produce lots of eye-catching colour. TuscanyTM verbenas are great fillers for containers. Grows 20-25 cm (8-10 in.) tall and 40-50 cm (16-20 in.) wide. Available in *each, Rose w/eye, Violet w/eye, White, Lavender picotee and Pink picotee.