Plumbago!

The plumbago, which is heat-tolerant, in my strawberry jar is flourishing (Kim Klassen texture, but looks much better if you click on it). All 4 of the plumbagos I planted in there are blooming.

And so is the vinca, which can take a lot of heat.

So is the purple basil, also heat-tolerant, which tastes and smells heavenly. The flies enjoy it, too (he is attractive for a fly). You have to pinch the flowers off basil or it won’t continue to grow and this one has new flowers all the time.

The hibiscus is still flowering constantly, but soon I’m going to have to move it to the north-facing patio instead of the south-facing porch because it had a bad summer last year and I wasn’t sure it would recover.

The African Daisies are also heat-tolerant and these have survived for over a year now.

We’ve had a week of 100 plus temps so we’ve pretty much begun the hellacious summer. So far the mornings and evenings are still nice so it’s really not unbearable at all…yet.

Plants that also do well through these Phoenix summers are boxwoods, of which I have several varieties, and ferns.

We have natural murals down the alley. These are my neighbor’s oleanders.

We have some, too, but he has irrigation and we don’t so his are a lot more lush. Kinda looks like we live in the country, doesn’t it, instead of an urban desert.

Other plants in my yard that you will probably see photos of during the long hot summer ahead when I might not get out to shoot much include pyracantha, pomegranate, African sumac, California pepper, silk oak, mulberry, lantana, cat’s claw, pine, ficus, aloe vera, and mesquite. These are all well-established trees or bushes that have been around awhile and generally do well in the summers here as long as they get watered.