Angelonia thrives in the thick heat that sends other bedding plants into a sulk, flowering nonstop from planting through fall without complaint. Narrow spikes of small blooms rise above fine-textured foliage on upright, tidy plants that need little fussing.

Six hours of sun and basic soil drainage are all you need—no special feeding, no pinching back. Slip one into a mixed bed where you need vertical interest, or mass several in a container for season-long color in the brightest spot you've got.