It is hot and quite humid. Every Texas gardener plans their gardening for early morning and late evening. That really is the only time you can enjoy being outside. At the stores, we have to do it all day long as some of the plants at the stores have to be watered two and three times a day (hats and lots of sunscreen!). I know some of these plants are asking why they are being subjected to this extreme.

And then I go on a drive, get out of the car in a small town just west of Denton in the middle of the day and see this vivid splash of color against our deep blue Texas sky.  A pipevine swallowtail (I am pretty sure that is what it is) butterfly was feeding, going from blossom to blossom unfazed by the heat. The Texas sage was in full bloom and a morning glory vine was trying to set up territory in the sage.

I could not help but stop and admire – it was beautiful even in the blazing sun!

So, what is going on in your garden right now? It was 104 yesterday and it is going to stay over 100 for the next several days. It is August in Texas, so this is to be expected. It amazes me how some plants just seem to thrive in this weather, and others just say “no thanks”. My basil, parsley and fennel look pathetic. Lemon grass, rosemary, thyme and Mexican oregano are as happy as can be. There are still a handful of olives on my tree – surely the birds will leave me at least one! It looks like I will have another great yield from the Meyer lemon tree. The old reliable salvia Greggii, rudbeckia, flame acanthus, cigar plant and butterfly weed stand up in the sun and act as if they just want more and more.

Something new for me is a plumeria. Carol, at our Dallas store gave me a 12″ cutting early last summer in a one-gallon pot. It has already been repotted twice. It is now in a much bigger container as it well needs to be. The plant is now between five and six feet tall, with two branches, each sporting beautiful blooms. What a treat. I do hear complaints from my husband, though. He is the official waterer of the container plants – and this one needs it twice a day now. I believe it needs to be repotted again. Carol did not warn me about this one!