I always thought of Texas as just a dry and desert-y kind of place. We lived in the Northwestern portion though of Texas, and it was just beautiful. They had very nice trees, tall pines, that were just lovely. I loved to hear the sound of them when the wind blows through them. Looking up at them, you would almost get dizzy, they were SO tall.

Our garden there was somewhat simple, and included potted gardens. I have very fond memories of it . The soil needed to be worked pretty well though. If you took the time to do that however, you could have very lovely results.

Here, I have shown some of the flowers in our garden there. Roses, Pansies, Azaleas, are just a few. Thank you for stopping by. The beautiful bearded irises, are from my great aunt in California. She got them from her family that lived in Washington state. Then from there, to California, to Texas, now in the mid west. We left some in each place as well. What a beautiful way to remember one's family, through the beautiful flowers that come up each spring. :)

Besides the many perennials you can plant, that will come back year after year faithfully, here are a few heat tolerant annuals that do wonderfully there.

Annuals for Texas:

Texas Bluebells, of course , which is a native Texas plant. I highly suggest growing plants native to your area if you ever can.

Moss Rose aka Portulaca- as its very heat and drought tolerant. Great as a bedding plant, and is a succulent so it does just fine even in the hottest summers.

Zinnias, especially the California giants grown from seeds. It was in Texas that I really realized just how much I love zinnias. They may be my #1 top favorite flower, for their brightness and attraction to butterflies, and being a good cut flower. I call them "Happy Flowers" for their bold color and statement. We had some amazing praying mantises hang out on the zinnias too, what a wonderful sight that was.

Periwinkle aka Vinca, another great summer annual.

Impatiens are one of the few that do ok in the shade, while still tolerating the heat. Just keep them watered. A favorite for shady areas where many other flowers just don't want to grow.

Lantana, another favorite, for its bright and cheerful countenance, and butterfly attraction. In East Texas, where i was, you can grow them as a perennial. I was so excited they came back after the winter there.