Question
I am new to gardening actually,  We have a Flower Bed in our front lawn and this year i wanted to actually do something with it instead of just letting it overgrow with weed and mow it down again,   I live in Central Texas and from end April until late September it is soooooo hot,  this particular area has no shade whatsoever,  The problem i am finding is that all of the flowers that grow well in this climate look like weeds in my opinion, Ok so my question,  Do you know of any flowers that actually look like flowers that i could use in this bed. Remember  High High sun and heat.  

Answer
Amanda,
The following annuals are the most heat tolerant:
Europs (shrubby, yellow daisies all summer) Cuphea (Mexican heather - flowers not large or showy, but great textured foliage and likes sun and heat)
Periwinkle (Catharanthus roseus - sometimes called Vinca - pink, white, or lavender flowers - they love heat.) Lantana (shrubby, good massed in a flower bed - shear plants to maintain tidy habit) Moss Rose (portulaca - comes in a flat-leaf form called Purslane as well - bright colors, tolerates heat and drought.  Small leaf moss roses look best when planted close together - place in garden four or five inches apart. Purslane can go 8" apart) Marigolds (native to mexico so you know they can take heat.  Prone to spider mites where you are, however, so  watch for mottling or yellowing of foliage and spray with insecticide to control if you get them.) Trailing verbena (may even be perennial where you are) and Zinnias.

If "Proven Winnners" are sold where you live, look for their "Superbena" verbenas and purslane.  Watch too for "Profusion Series" zinnias - short, tidy and bushy, and they bloom all summer.

I find that annuals do best when the soil is prepared with some composted manure dug in to a depth of 12".  When you're turning the soil and manure, also scatter some ORGANIC fertilizer such as Plant-Tone into the soil.  When you plant, add some time-release fertilizer to the area just around the plants, making sure that it has a slightly higher level of nitrogen (the first number on the fertilizer package) - Proven winners time release and Osmocote Indoor/Outdoor have such formulations.

The combination of time-release and organic will feed your garden all summer and is easier  than using a liquid fertilizer and will provide a steady stream of nutrients.

I hope this helps!
C.L.
www.gardenlady.com