I don't think you can go wrong if you throw some seeds out there. Zinnia and cosmos are the first to come to mind.

Crocosmia is blooming in my garden, along with pentas, and of course, roses. Plumbago is gorgeous, esperanza can't be beat, butterfly weed is popping everywhere. Lantana is going full speed ahead, and the altheas are full of blooms. And that isn't all; firespike, red and pink are blooming in the deep shade, firebush is glowing in the sun. Jatropha is a red umbrella, just gorgeous! Yellow cestrum is so pretty, and the hibiscus is all out of this world!

Lots of stuff will bloom in our heat, as long as it gets water.

Janie

Carolyn ~

Lantana, blackfoot daisy, turk's cap, many salvia, lots of wildflowers. Since you're interested in adding flowers & color, you might consider using lists of butterfly/hummingbird plants. Because they are summer season plants, most butterfly/hummingbird plants are beautiful summer showstoppers. One local reference would be the Dallas County Lepidopterist Society.

You might want to check out the Trinity Forks (Denton County) Chapter of the Native Plant Society of Texas. They list plants that are naturally found within a 50 mile radius of Denton (I think that's the measurement). Those are plants that will likely thrive in your area. I'm just below Denton County and reference their list regularly. They also have a list of local butterfly plants.

~ freshair

Here is a link that might be useful: Plants native to Denton County

There are many plants blooming right now in Kyle. Let's see...You may want to try salvias, bulbine, lantana, rock rose, lavender, crape myrtle, croscomia, rose, vinca, asclepia, hibiscus, Mexican petunia, esperanza, gazania, passiflora, wild sunflower, blackfoot daisy. Dahlberg Daisy, zinnia, cuphea, Mexican oregano, coral bean tree, bougainvillea, flame acanthus and alyssum.

Omar

Also: Phlox, Dicliptera suberecta, Echinacea, coral vine and (with lots of water) Gerbera daisies.

Janie: Your firespike is blooming already?! Wish mine would . . . it never does till September.

Actually, after a couple years or so of drought and this summer of high heat, I'm no longer thinking so much in terms of frequent blooms so much as survival of my plants! My yard looks pathethic for the most part. But I've got one Yellow Bells blooming, Red Yucca is still blooming a bit, several of the native Woolly Ironweed, Turk's Cap is blooming good, a couple of yellow cosmos and Flame Acanthus is going to seed now, but had been blooming well. Mexican Firebush should bloom a bit later on...I can't say enough about it's capacity to tolerate drought. I never water mine.

Firespike never quit blooming since last fall, for some reason, but my Turk's cap isn't blooming, and it is always beautiful when it blooms. The rock rose (pavonia) is gorgeous too!

janie

Do you think it would be possible to plants some of these species now? One area I'm looking to plant is by a raised pond I just built. It will have to be container plants for there. I would so love to try and get some color there now...but would I just be throwing my money away planting a container now?

The good thing about a container is I could move it if needed.

My rock rose has quit blooming in this heat. But, if it gets a little extra water it will bloom a lot. I'm VERY stingy with the water so even after it's bi-weekly watering it won't bloom right now. We're at pretty much constant triple digits and no rain. We've had the occasional cool front that others have had (drops to 97 for a few days, etc.) The things that are carrying my garden through at the moment are Zinnias, Fannick's Phlox -I only have one :-(- and Mexican Oregano (this thing just loves the heat, I think). I have a few Purple Coneflowers that aren't producing new blooms but still hanging on to the old ones. My regular Oreganos are blooming but the flowers are so insignificant they are really not worth mentioning.

Or one of these. This Crinum has been blooming all summer since the end of May. You need to have a lot of room though. Before I dug it this morning it was covering a 6' diameter circle. Yes that is SIX feet.

On the coast we are in a the worst drought of my lifetime. What is blooming is Esperanza, Oleanders and Passion Flower Incarnata. Almost forgot the Night blooming Jasmine.

Carolyn ~

Planting in our heat is always a risk. On the other hand, north central TX is supposed to have a week or so or relatively low highs (in the 90s) with overcast skies and possible rain. So if you really want to plant "now", now would be a relatively good time. If so, you might want to start with either summer annuals that you know will have a short lifespan, or get some really drought tolerant perennials that you can move to a more permanent location once you do your bed prep.

I don't do much with containers, so someone else can chime in on that. One benefit would be that you could move it to some shade on the triple digit days for a bit of relief.

~ freshair

equinecpa: I would think that container plants would be just as happy in your care as at a nursery. You might find some good sales now, too. A roll of shade screening isn't too expensive and could be set up over anything that needs relief from the sun & heat.

I have a few plants that seem to thrive in this year's crazy heat. Esperanza, coneflowers, plumbago and firecracker plant. :)

I passed by a Lowes store and they were practically giving away perennials so of course I bought a selection. I unfortunately did not have my list with all my research with me but I bought

Autumn Sage
Agapanthus
Some kind of Purple salvia
a Day Lily
CAlla lily
and one mistake-a Duranthus (this one won't be winter hardy here and I'm not fond of bringing a toxic plant into the house-I guess I'll enjoy the blooms while I have them :( )

All for the grand total of $18.00! I'm going to pick up more if I can...I had a rock rose in my hand but I didn't know HOW discounted these plants were and was concerned that my tab might be adding up. They also had a butterflybush that I'd like and boy.. if I could find a crinum I"d be set!

Don't get discouraged about our heat. You really can't compare us to Ontario. I'm in Indiana at the moment and was just in northern Michigan. For one thing, they are having a really cool summer (think sweaters) and so their weather is like our spring (at least that has been the case in Indy and Michigan). Also, it has rained quite a bit here (can't speak for Ontario), but people haven't even watered their grass this year and it is greener than I can ever get mine.

Alley, you might be surprised when you get home to see how your grass has probably perked up. I'm in Fort Worth too and we've had a decent amount of rain over the past few days. My grass, which I was just about getting ready to turn into an inferno strip near the curb, has greened up unbelievably!

I'm in zone 8 and our vinca's are beautiful, just full of blooms, also zinna's are really blooming. I just have a small bed right now but we are preparing another one to plant for the fall.
Piper

Althea, bird of paradise, butterfly weed, turks cap, cone flowers, cestrum orange peel, sunflowers, salvia, giant bird of paradise, coral vine, passionvines, crinums, hibiscus, penta, elephant ears, duranta, rhipsalis, brugmansia, datura, shrimp plant, esperanza, American germander, canna, African blue basil, gourds, bitter melon, vinca, bulbine, bouganvilla, a stray crocosmia, cacti and succulents, jatrophas, potato vine, begonia, plumbago, vitex, pride of barbados, roses, clerodendrums, frogbit, water lilies, plumeria, rockrose, poinsetta, haemelia, butterfly bush, butterfly vine, gloriosa lily,gardenia... there is some other stuff out there blooming but can't think off hand. We just got a lot of rain and of course we like to water!!
Tally HO!

Well we are in the heart of tx and I am barley hanging on to what I have .Butterfl bush allmost DO. pride of barbadosdoing great!rock r ok ,BFweed doing good.Potato vine gets onley morn sun and it is almost fryed I water it every day.Mexican petunia, esperanza doing ok .I so wish for some rain!!!

I so wish that the rain we are getting here in north central Texas would get down to all of you central Texans. I heard on the news last night that y'all are still baking hot and dry.

With the soaker hose going slowly and steadily on the roses, they have continued to bloom through the heat. Turks cap look good as does the lantana. My macrophyla hydrangeas may be dead, I can't tell right now because even with plenty of water the tops are so delicate they have browned. The oak leaf hydrangeas are doing fine, although the bloom panicles have faded. I have a stand of volunteer sunflowers that are huge, healthy and thriving. My gladiolas just finished blooming a couple weeks ago and they didn't seem to be affected by the heat or lack of rain, but this is the third year those bulbs have been in the ground so they are well established. Cheryl

We got 3/4" today on the banks of Brushy Creek. I think it only got up to 95. The COLD FRONT is here! LOL. Plant away. You've got lots and lots of great suggestions. Whoever was looking for rock rose - get some seed. It comes up real easy!

lookin' good in the sun/not much water-must have winter protection pride of barbadow

looking good in shade/sun gardenia (in a pot in rose soil watered every other day at least)