For those that have a green thumb and like to be outdoors in the warmer weather, gardens and potted plants can bring a sense of enjoyment.

Guthrie County Iowa State University Extension and Outreach Master Gardener Barb Gigar says that picking the right plants can help boost the chances of them staying alive in the heat, sunshine and storms that can happen during the summer. She mentions that perennials are a good choice, as they are usually a little hardier than annuals.

Gigar further explains that those perennials that are native to the climate area or are cultivars of those species are even better at staying alive in warmer, dryer conditions. She tells Raccoon Valley Radio that paying attention to how much sunlight your plants need is important as well.

“And then also making sure that the plant is in the right location to start. If it’s something that likes sun, to part sun or part shade, or if it likes part shade and you’ve got it in a pretty sunny location, it might do fine in the spring, but as it starts getting really hot and we have those longer days and it’s 90 plus degrees, they will not do so well and they may even get sunburned and may dry out faster.”

Gigar advises that for some vegetation that like partial shade or partial sun like blueberries, having them in a large pot that you can move around can be a good idea if you don’t have a specific area that would be good for them. Doing that allows you to move them in and out of the sun.