Best Plants for Afternoon Sun

A bed or wall that faces west gets its sun in the afternoon, and the plants that do best there are the ones that take heat and drought: coneflower, black-eyed Susan, Russian sage, coreopsis, yarrow, blanket flower and gaura among perennials, and passionflower, wisteria and summer jasmine on a west-facing wall. Each of them is described that way in its care guide on this site, linked below. Just as useful is knowing what to keep out of that spot: hydrangeas, Japanese maples, hostas and many heucheras scorch in hot afternoon sun.

Perennials That Take Heat and Afternoon Sun

• Coneflower - drought-tolerant and tough; it thrives in heat and dry, lean soil once established.
• Black-eyed Susan - tough and drought-tolerant; it thrives in heat and dry conditions once established.
• Russian sage - exceptionally drought-tolerant; it thrives in heat and dry soil once established.
• Coreopsis - it craves full sun, thrives in poor, well-drained soil and tolerates heat and drought with ease.
• Yarrow - extremely tough, and drought- and heat-tolerant.
• Blanket flower - it thrives in heat, drought, poor soil and full sun, and draws bees and butterflies.
• Gaura - tough, drought- and heat-tolerant, with a very long flowering season in sunny gardens.

Climbers for a South- or West-Facing Wall

• Passionflower - it flowers best in a warm, sheltered spot in full sun, ideally against a south- or west-facing wall or fence that soaks up warmth.
• Wisteria - full sun is essential for good flowering, at least six hours, ideally on a warm, sheltered south- or west-facing wall.
• Jasmine - summer jasmine wants a warm, sheltered, sunny position, ideally a south- or west-facing wall, for the best flowers and scent.

Roses for a Sunny West Side

• Graham Thomas rose - David Austin Roses lists its growing conditions as east-, south- or west-facing, in full sun.
• Julia Child rose - described by Wikipedia as heat tolerant.

One caution for roses in general: our floribunda roses guide notes that Purdue prefers early morning sun to afternoon sun for them, because morning sun dries the leaves early in the day.

Plants to Keep Out of Hot Afternoon Sun

These are the opposite case: each profile linked below warns that hot afternoon sun scorches the plant, so they belong where the afternoon is shaded.

• Hydrangea - most prefer morning sun and afternoon shade; bigleaf types wilt and scorch in hot afternoon sun.
• Rhododendron and azalea - most dislike hot, full afternoon sun, which scorches leaves and shortens bloom.
• Japanese maples - our cultivar guides, Bloodgood among them, advise a spot sheltered from harsh afternoon sun.
• Hostas - our hosta guides warn that hot afternoon sun scorches the leaves; in Frances Williams it causes a marginal leaf scorch.
• Heuchera - intense afternoon sun can bleach or scorch the leaves of Caramel and other heucheras.
• Japanese forest grass - morning sun or bright shade is ideal, and hot afternoon sun scorches.

How We Chose These

Every plant here comes from a care guide on this site, and each line repeats what that guide says about sun and heat; the guides themselves cite their sources. We picked the garden plants whose guides describe them as thriving in heat or suited to a south- or west-facing position, and, for the second list, the ones whose guides warn about afternoon sun. How hot your afternoons are depends on your climate, so check each plant’s guide for hardiness and soil as well.

For houseplants by a west window, our light checker helps you judge how bright a spot really is.

Sources

• The care guide linked for each plant, with its own sources.
• David Austin Roses, Graham Thomas, growing conditions. Read 28 October 2026.
• Wikipedia, Rosa ‘Julia Child’. Read 28 October 2026.
• Purdue University Extension, HO-128: Roses, on morning versus afternoon sun. Read 28 October 2026.