What blooms in the summer heat???
There ARE some flowers in the garden despite the heat and limited watering.  The most magnificent bloomer has been an unknown species of Solanum given to Ann Marie by herb book author Lucinda Hutson.  This tall, lanky plant with fuzzy, gray green leaves has been covered with deep purple flowers all summer.  The color is like a beautiful evening shadow, the centers of the blooms are bright yellow stars.  Adding even more contrast are the shining orange peppers on the habanero plant at the foot of the Solanum.  Although it seems impossible that Austin, Texas will ever see frost again, cuttings of this tender perennial will be taken this fall.

The gardener birds planted one of the gardens other highlights.  Sunflowers have appeared throughout the yard and have provided a cut flower source all summer.  The specific type is unknown, but the highly branched plants are covered with 3-4 inch bright yellow blooms.  What a spark in a dull, dry garden!  Another old friend that has held on the whole summer long are the purslanes, apricot flowered plants complement lavender lantana in hanging baskets.  Fiery orange purslane becomes a petticoat for a trio of orange and red peppers in a terra cotta container.  The intense colors hold up in our searing sunshine.

Other bloomers can also be seen.  Sweet autumn clematis is a white cloud floating near the pond.   Chaya plants (Cnidoscolus chayamansa) and Tua Tua (Jatropha gossypifolia) have small, interesting blooms and the yellow Brugmansia x "Charles Grimaldi"  graced the garden with several days worth of its large, tubular blossoms.  A brief rainstorm, almost too little to measure, brought out the magenta blossoms of the Salvia gregii in the front yard.  With little rain in the extended forecast these bloomers are treasures to enjoy.

Wildlife in the garden
The usual suspects are being accused of plant destruction...baby raccoons have hopped in the pond and pulled up water lilies, squirrels continually dig up container plants and opossums...well, we don't really know what they do...but some one keeps upsetting the potted topiaries.  Two big turkey buzzards paid a recent visit, helping remove carrion from the street.  They are truly amazing birds to watch, were not frightened by passing cars, and, despite exclamations of "GROSS", they do serve a valuable purpose in our world.  On the lighter side, hummingbirds are at their peak, hovering at feeders, flowers and colored light bulbs.  Surprisingly, they have been seen visiting rosemary blossoms.  These pale blue flowers are tubular shaped and the particular variety they are drinking from has slightly larger blooms than most.  Hummingbirds have only been seen visiting the rosemary in the evenings...perhaps this is most simply explained by "poor observation", but Ann Marie also wonders if it could have something to do with the effect of the evening light on the blooms.  These are certainly hummingbirds, not the moths that are occasionally confused with the "little warrior" birds.  In addition, an assortment of other birds flit around the garden, including Carolina wrens, chickadees, cardinals and blue jays.  Lizards and geckos are also plentiful and often seen sunning themselves on ginger leaves.