How does my garden grow

I love to have a beautiful garden. My dad and grandpa have always been avid gardners, and they have instilled the love of growing things in me. The only problem is that I'm somewhat of a lazy gardner - I like plants that offer the maximum return with minimal effort. I also have some challenges with my yard: lots of sun and heat, poor soil (a horrible clay loam), very little water (less than 1 inch in the past 2 months) and it can get quite windy. Hmmm - sounds like I live in a desert huh? But despite all the obstacles, I've managed to make a few things grow.

My favorite: day lilies. Although my true lilies are well past their prime, my day lilies are still blooming like crazy. I could have 100 of them in my yard, and I'd love every one of them.
Coreopsis is a new addition to my garden. My dad bought me just this one last summer. It has consistently bloomed since spring, and I haven't done one thing to help. I haven't even watered it. And I love the sunny yellow flowers. I think I may put a few more of these in the yard this fall.
This is another new addition - its called a coneflower. I only have one that I bought because I read they are very drought resistent. Its got big, showy flowers and seems to love its sunny home in my front yard. I think I need more of this one too.
I'm in love with this flower. Its actually something that I'd never even heard of. Its called an Arizona Sun Indian Blanket (I think) and I think its gorgeous. The flowers are so striking, and being that its from Arizona, it does well in my yard.

I have lots of hollyhocks on the top of my rock wall - I have a 6-foot white fence on the top of the wall, so it can feel like we're down in a hole sometimes. So, I needed something to brighten it up. I love hollyhocks. They have the most amazing, abundent flower, but the stalks and leaves are so ugly. It the perfect combination. They also grow like weeds, and I've found how to reseed them. I think they're perennials too, so I'm figuring in a few years I should have dozens of these guys.
This is my only attempt at something edible - my peach tree. This is only its second year, and I think I'm going to get about 50 peaches - and that is after I thinned them quite liberally (they were weighing down the poor small branches). Peaches are my very favorite fruit, and I'm checking them every day to see if they're ripe (we're getting close). I would really love to have more fruits and veggies - maybe some day.
I have a few petunias - the only annuals in my garden (remember that I prefer flowers with minimal effort - and that includes planting once and having them grow for years). I have also successfully gotten my petunias to reseed themselves though, so I do have a few random ones popping up here and there. Although they're totally common flowers, I love them.
This is my very favorite tree - a thornless purple-robed honeylocust. We planted it less than 2 years ago. Back then, it was a skinny stick, barely 5 feet tall. Now, it is bigger than my house. And its gorgeous. It has huge purple flower clusters that pop out all spring and early summer.
This is my butterfly bush, and its much prettier in "real life" (the picture just doesn't do it justice). It sits right outside of my kitchen window, so I can watch the butterflies land on it while I'm doing the dishes.

I'm slowly adding new plants. I've been saving up, and in another month or so, I'll get some clearance perennials planted, just in time for the snow to fly.