The hot, hot days of July

We have just entered into the hottest part of the year.  For the next eight weeks, we will be counting the number of consecutive days over 100 degrees, and number of days without rain.  I can't even whisper to my little plants, "Hang on a little longer", because we still have a long way to go!

But, that being said, we were also very fortunate to get a nice wet, cool week right after July 4th, so the plants are entering this time of year strong and healthy.

Here are some beauties that are doing well despite the most recent hot spell.

This night blooming cactus is always a joy to see when I first walk out in the morning!

Esperanza is one of the summer's true work horses, dark leafy greens with brilliant yellow flowers.  My huge one in the back won't bloom until the fall, but most of the smaller ones will bloom all summer.

The Texas Sage spends most of the year as a nondescript silver-grey bush. But after a summer rain, it bursts out in the most gorgeous of color!!

This photo doesn't do justice to my Skyflower.  Come July, it seems to just drip in purple blooms.

And I love how the gaura drape over the edge of the stone wall. They bloom for a week or so, then go dormant, but in another month, they seem to be back to blooming again.  For some reason (probably water and a little shade from the rose bush behind it), these gaura do much better than the ones more to the center of my garden.

My Ruellia are my water gauge.  When the soil gets dry, the will lose their flowers and shrivel up their leaves.  Given them some afternoon water, and the quickly pop back up again.

The Morning Glory has become more of a weed, than an appreciated flower.  It seems only to grow where it shouldn't.  I have tried transplanting it to its own space many times, but it never roots.  But I can't seem to pull it up from around the garden and porch!