Does hope spring eternal?

In spite of two years of summer draught and almost endless hours spent with hose in hand, I greatly desire to plant more new plants. There are so many plants, so little time and space. It's hard to imagine weeks of 100 degree weather with abundant humidity. Last year I think we had 13 days in a row of 100 degree temperatures.
And despite that I lost a fetterbush and a Red Star Chaemacyparis, I plan to plant new ones, plus things I have never tried - like having a palm tree in the black belt,
a cabbage palm. I think there use to be one in our town, but I haven't seen it lately. Was it my imagination?