Well, I'm back from my fabulous trip to France and returned to find 100 degree days baked the gardens in our parts. But I must agree with Bart Ziegler of the Wall Street Journal who shares his favorite workhorses in his garden that survived the heat and lack of rain. He includes three of my favorites I have in my garden: Knock-Out roses, of course, Black Lace Sambucus and smoke bushes.
Bart says this about Knock Out Roses:
"Most roses are a mess in my part of the country, attracting bugs and diseases and eventually succumbing to a harsh winter. But there are newer varieties that perform much better. 
Knock-Out roses are among the few types of roses that have done well in my yard.
Knock-Out roses are among the few types of roses that have done well in my yard.
One of them is the Knock-Out series (zones 5-9). They seem to avoid most common rose ailments such as black spot and mildew. Japanese beetles, which recently made their dreaded annual appearance at my house, do attack their buds, but unlike with most other roses they won't eat the leaves.
Read the whole story in The Wall Street Journal.
Suzi
Off to Dallas -- again!
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