Some like it hot!

I, for one, prefer warm weather over cold weather, but darn its been hot this week. I am looking forward to the cooler, more fall like temperatures promised for this weekend though.

 

 The yellow lantana in my yard seems to like it hot! Even with hot and dry conditions, the flowers seems to thrive, which means I like it even more.

 This flower bed with yuccas, cactus, pampas grass, and a voluntary American beauty berry has become my favorite fuss free area of the yard this summer. It survived the massive drought last year and has bloomed with minimal to no extra watering by me this year, whereas my other large flower bed has a bad case of heat exhaustion.

 

Oh and did I mention, this lantana only cost me 50 cents a few years back? Late one summer, I bought it on the clearance rack at the garden center. It was in a 4 inch pot and had been neglected by the big box store. I give it some special care for a few weeks, then it has been a beautiful, pest free addition to the rock garden ever since. The butterflies enjoy the blooms in the summer and the birds eat the berries the lantana produces this winter.  Its like the super plant in my landscape!

 Do you grow lantana?