I don't plant flowers that are only good for a few months, if the summer heat and drought don't kill them.
I have some Lantana and Mexican Heather plants in the front garden. They are perennials. They grow all summer, no matter how hot or dry. I cut them down to the ground in October, and they come back the following June. They have not come back this year. I don't know why. Hopefully, they are just late.
My whole front yard is native plants. They are drought tolerant, and fairly low maintenance. My trees are also native. They can go months without rain. My neighbors ask me all the time why my yard looks so good in the worst conditions, and I tell Tham the trick is to grow things that grow here in nature -- with no help from humans.
Now, to be honest, some of my neighbors did not like my yard when I first planted it, and complained to the HOA, but I told them to give it some time. They did, and now they love it.
CD