It’s hot outside, but that doesn’t mean your garden has to wilt in the heat. Choose heat-loving summer annuals for a burst of colour that doesn’t need copious watering. We’ve provided some ideas for sun-loving bedding plants below.

Here are some tips on how to give them the best start possible:

• No matter what you are planting, good soil preparation is essential. Well-composted soil retains water far better than poor soil.
• If you’re planting in containers it’s highly advisable to add water-retaining gel or granules to the soil. They absorb water when you water the plants and then release it gradually as the soil dries out.
• Always give seedlings a good start by watering them frequently for the first three weeks. This will allow the plants to develop strong root systems, making them far more heat and drought tolerant as soon as they are established.
• Keep the soil in your garden beds cool and moist by surrounding plants with organic mulch, such as compost, bark chips or leaf mould.
• Feed seedlings with a specially formulated slow release fertiliser. Some of these fertilisers can last for up to six months before the next application is required. Well-nourished plants cope far better with heat and periods of drought.

Try these heat lovers: Vinca, Portulaca, Salvia, Gazanias, Petunias, Marigolds, Zinnia, Angelonia, Verbena and SunPatiens (a New Guinea impatiens that likes the sun).