Kalanchoe blossfeldiana May be "Flaming Katy" Here is a link that might be useful: Kalanchoe

Yes you can grow basil in your climate but it should be grown in part shade so it doesn't get the hot afternoon sun. It shouldn't have wilted in a few hours inside. I have grown it in my south facing window all winter, but not in your heat. I only say this to show you it can be grown inside. Did you check to see if it needed water. The next mistake you made is putting it outside in the sun. This plant was probably grown in a greenhouse and needed to be hardened off before going outside permanently. It had never been exposed to uv light and it has to be introduced gradually. Can you imagine what would happen to a person who had never been outside and was suddenly put outside in the sun--the same with plants. To harden a plant off you put it outside in the shade for a couple of hours and then bring it in. you gradually increase the time it is out and gradually increase the sun. In your case and location morning and late afternoon sun. Basil is very easy to grow from seed. It sprouts fast and is usable in a month, so get yourself some seeds. I imagine your weather has cooled a bit now so you might be able to plant it in the sun now,

dRahme - My sister just wants a low maintenance and drought tolerant garden. She doesn't like gardening at all. Since I plan on putting a small lawn and gas BBQ near the guest house, I'll likely put the shrubs and trees on the perimter. I'll definitely check out your site to get some ideas, though. In her neighborhood, most people have the usual rock garden with a few drought resistant shrubs and daisies. I can't imagine her running outside to water when the temps start to get over 100 degrees (when it needs it the most!). And I understand that if plants are in the ground, the automatic sprinklers can only run for a few minutes on Satuday. In containers, though, there is no restriction on length of watering. Thanks for your thoughts Bill

I am delighted to announce that both the original aspidistra plant and the offshoot I planted in a different pot are exhibiting new growth. For the record, I put them in a north facing window where they receive light but not direct light, give them one cup of water every 12-13 days, and left them alone. It seems July is the growing season for these plants, because it is also around this time last year that they put out new leaves. As for your yellowing Sans2014, I'm not sure what's causing it but I did find a pretty good site here where they may answer your question: http://www.ourhouseplants.com/plants/aspidistra From reading that site, it seems your problem could be caused by too cold temps (unlikely in July), too frequent repotting, or most likely overwatering. I water mine every 12-13 days and this is in July in Las Vegas, where temps in my apartment can reach 90 if i turn the A/C off before going to work. If you leave in a cooler climate, I wouldn't water it more than every two weeks, maybe even less.