We're quite seasonal here, GF. Warm (80s, sometimes 90s F) in summer, cold (-20 F is not unusual) in winter, about 40 inches of precip a year. But it all varies. For instance, between June and October this year we had close to 30 inches of rain. Some years we get less than 10 in that same time frame.
Part of my problem was that I was trying to start dry/mesic plants in my front yard here--finally figured out that although the soil is sandy, there's an impermeable rock plateau just under the surface and the soil is pretty wet. Discovered that last year when someone suggested I see what grows there naturally--and found wetland plants like fringed and whorled loosestrife!
