By now most of us are sick of the sticky, humid summer heat, especially plants and flowers. If your landscape is baking in the sun, consider adding plants and flowers that are heat and drought tolerant. Local landscapers share their top picks.

In her 30-year career Diane Breckenridge-Barrett has created beautiful living rooms, grand hotel lobbies and handsome offices. Her interior design talents have transformed sleek downtown condos and rustic country getaways.

But no matter what the project, somewhere in that design you would be hard pressed not to find a bouquet of flowers. The arrangements might show up as part of a painting or a fabric detail or displayed in a fine container, but flowers there would be.

 In the 18th century, British statesman Edmund Burke theorized that for men to love their country, their country should be lovely. Burke’s constituents in the British Isles took him at his word.

The small sign is tucked into a planter in the beautifully compact garden of Janice Hobson’s University City condominium. Other than the gender of the pronoun, the sentiment could not be more perfect. 

Twelve months a year, bubbling fountains and numerous feeders welcome flocks of joyous, chirping birds to the small space.  If human beings could tweet as happily as birds, the people that are drawn to the spot would be singing an equally merry song.