Here we go into the gauntlet of summer that is July and August. Hold on tight and think about October. With the heat however, comes the full on color show of summer. All the heat loving plants are now just pulling into full form and ready to show off. Here are a few of the shrubs and trees that are in bloom now and at least can provide some visual distraction from the heat.
Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indicia)
Crape myrtle tree 'Pink Velour' summer blooms
Crape myrtle 'Muskogee' with stately, beautiful light lavender bloom colors
'Natchez' is a very popular variety with dense, white bloom clusters.
Lantana (Lantana x 'New Gold')
A summer and heat loving perennial, Lantana 'New Gold'
Drift Roses (Rosa 'Meidrifora' & others)
A low growing, disease resistant rose with a vivid coral bloom color.
Drift groundcover roses are a low growing, summer splash of color.
Coneflower (Echinacea 'Sunrise')
'Sunrise' is a delicate, pale yellow color that provides great contrast it the summer garden.
Purple coneflower perennial blooms throughout the summer.
Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
A summer staple for any garden. Balck-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia triloba)
Golden Rain Tree (Koelreuteria paniculata)
Golden Rain Tree has bright yellow, paper-like capsule blooms in summer.
Desert Willow Tree (Chilopsis linearis)
Desert Willow tree is a smaller ornamental tree that is drought tolerant and has purple blooms.
Enjoy the summer while it is here. 2015 is going fast.