I love flowers. But I am also in a part of the country that is having a prolonged heat wave – with temps over 100 daily for almost 2 weeks and counting. To add to that, we are in a severe drought area. We’ve had very little rain this summer and none in the past 3 weeks. As a result, we are in a tight restricted use of water.
Cock’s Comb plants grow in front of my house each year from seeds from the prior year. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately because of the water shortage, most of the small plants were accidentally killed with week killer this spring. I love the Cock’s Comb plants because of their gorgeous colors and the size of the blooms. The blooms last all summer and just keep growing, getting bigger and bigger. Last year, I had one that was 12″ wide. They also dry extremely well and keep their color 
With the water shortage, keeping my flowers alive and blooming takes being creative. I conserve water inside the house and use for watering the plants. We have bowls in sinks to catch the water that is running. Its amazing how much water is used just to wash hands or while waiting for it to heat up.
Another favorite flower of mine is the Hibiscus. They are just so pretty with so many large colorful blooms. 
I just wish the blooms lasted more than a day. Unfortunately, it gets too cold in the winter here for Hibuscus, so they have to be planted in pots brought in when it gets cold.
Recently while plant shopping, I found some “vintage” Hibiscus. The blooms reach up to 8 or 9 inches across. I have plenty of buds, but didn’t have any blooms today while I was taking pictures. They are amazing in their size and beauty.
I didn’t plant many flowers this spring due to lengthy cold spring. Even though I miss them, I guess its a good thing due to the watering restrictions. I don’t wash my hands enough to keep several flower beds watered!
