The Chaste tree blooms, shown above, in June and its leaves smell great, too. Some Like It Hot.  When most flowers have faded the Crape Myrtle (Lagerstroemia indica) and the Chaste tree (Vitex agnus-castus) fire up for a dazzling show of summer color. Both are naturally shrub-like with multi-trunks, but can be trained to be a small single trunk standard tree that will not grow much more than 20 feet tall.  The Crape Myrtle will give you pink, red, white and lavender blooms.   For those who love the cold-sensitive Jacaranda tree, the Chaste tree is a terrific substitute.

Hot Palms.  Palms love warm soil for their roots, so summer is a good time to plant them.  Other trees should be planted in either the Fall or very early Spring for best results. 

  Trickle Down.  Even birds need extra water now and they prefer to drink from trickling water, rather than a still bird bath. So add a small fountain--not a gushing cascade--but one where water trickles and drips to entice wild birds to your garden.  One attractive, low-cost fountain is a terra cotta jar with water flowing gently over the brim into a bed of small pebbles in a plant pot saucer.  

Oh, Those Ugly Brown Spots.  The sudden increase in temperatures at the onset of summer, especially the increase in overnight low temperatures, puts a lot of stress on lawns and trees.  If your lawn is developing brown spots you are in good company -- virtually every desert lawn has brown spots now. You may want to give those brown spots some additional water for a while.