The heat-wave-that-refuses-to-leave has taken my weather-wimpery to a whole new level. Garden chores are left undone while I spend early mornings and evenings dragging the hose around, saturating poor, thirsty plants. The rest of the day is spent in other places, usually indoors with a room AC unit that is so loud it could drown out a Boeing flyover. But I can't complain. Well, let's face it. I can, and I do because I'm a weather wuss.
Despite the meteorological mayhem, the garden is doing surprisingly well. Granted I've resisted the impulse to dig up and move plants and I've even gone so far as to lay an old bed sheet over a few plants that I fear will get sunburned. My efforts have paid off. Nature is so forgiving.
I'm not a huge fan of Daylilies (Hemerocallis ssp and cvs.) but I've always sort of wanted a white one. Last fall when I saw H x 'Early Snow' on clearance for a buck I grabbed it. Finally, it just started blooming. Ain't it perty?
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| Hemerocallis x 'Early Snow' |
I have a few pink daylilies too. This one really trips my trigger:
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| Hemerocallis 'Coming Up Roses' (I think) |
While my pink 'Tri-Color' Alstroemerias are a bevy of blossoms, this one is much more demure.
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| Alstroemeria psittacina 'Variegata' |
I've always had a soft spot for the genus Centaurea so, last winter, when I was flower-starved, I bought seeds for Centaurea rothrockii. It just started blooming. Check out the size of these babies! And the bees love them.
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| Centaurea rothrockii |
Another newbie last year is Talinum calycinum, also called Rock Pink or Flame Flower. The tiny, one-inch blossoms only appear in the afternoon. And they drop their little seeds! I've already got a few baby plants popping up.
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| Talinum calycinum |
Another product of my flower-starved winter has also just started blooming. Check out this miniature Morning Glory, called "Rose Feathers." (
Ipomoea quamoclit.) I bought the seeds through
Baker Creek. It's just starting to bloom.
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| Ipomoea quamoclit |
Here's what the foliage looks like--all soft and ferny.
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| Ipomoea quamoclit |
Don't you love growing new plants?
Here's another newbie for me. I don't typically grow yellow flowers but when I saw this last fall at a plant sale, I succumbed.
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| Kniphofia 'Pineapple Popsicle' |
Check out my Gardenia 'Frostproof.' Just in the last few days the fragrant flowers began to appear. I love it.
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| Gardenia 'Frostproof' |
Ditto for the Dahlias. Actually only this one so far but the others are making good progress.
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| Dahlia blossom... I don't know the name |
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| Look at how happy the Portulaca plants are. |
In other news, during a recent trip to the store, I (naturally) had to detour to the plant department. Check out this morbid plant abuse! Mulitple pots of Digplexis 'Illumination Flame' being tortured with 100 degree heat and little water. What are the store owners thinking?
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| Plant Abuse |
Speaking of morbid, I instinctively reached for my camera when I saw this Trachycarpus casualty. What do you think,
Mindy? Would your hubby cut this one down? LOL
And now, a few critters:
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| This snake thinks he's hiding but, come on dude. |
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| At twilight, a Hummingbird rests just a few inches away from me. |
Finally, a better photo of the
aforementioned sweet little Song Sparrow who likes to sing to us.
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| I love this little guy! |
I hope your garden and its inhabitants are making you happy.
I see Friday the temps come down to the 80's . We(dogs) are fed up with staying in all afternoon . I've been getting out before 6 am , just to enjoy the garden a bit.
ReplyDeleteI love that little 'Rose feathers' I'll have to remember to look it up.
Your garden still looks lovely despite the heat. My garden makes me very happy, but looking at yours does too!
ReplyDeleteI've been getting up early too to get some weeding and watering done, at least it cools off at night here. I've found white daylilies a little difficult too, your pink bitone daylily is cute. I hope Frostproof does well for you, I was afraid to plant it in the ground and killed it in the pot. The flowers are really big. I'm looking forward to the Dahlias blooming, mine have a long way to go.
ReplyDeleteI am a weather wimp too. If it's too hot, or too humid, or too wet, or too cold, you won't find me out in the garden. LOL Don't you just hate when stores neglect their plants? One time, I grabbed a nearby hose, and watered some! It's nice to hear another gardener admit that she doesn't care much for daylilies. I thought I was the only one! I get dirty looks when I say it.
ReplyDeleteYour gardens must be so pretty! I love the ferniness (is that even a word) of the morning glory. We do have a few daylilies. (70+) Mostly because my husband loves them. But we can have that many because there is room enough for all of the other plants we have. Isn't it a shame how stores let the plants die!! So many get thrown away.
ReplyDeleteI don't like hot weather either, but living down here in s.e. FL we've got LOTS of it, for months on end. Cooler weather is so much appreciated when we finally get it. I work outside as early as possible, then come in to enjoy the a.c. Aaaahhh!
ReplyDeleteI too have to keep hand watering to keep the plants happy. Rain keeps being predicted, but going around us.
May you get some rain soon to water your lovely gardens. I love that rose morning glory. Very sweet. The foliage is just as pretty as the bloom.
Have a great week ~ FlowerLady
The weather this year seems to be topsy turvy everywhere. We had the coolest July 4th we have had in Texas for many years and the days continue to be mild only reaching the low 90's in mid afternoon...but nice and cool in the mornings and evenings. Haven't hit 100 yet and by now we have usually had quite a few 100+ days.
ReplyDeleteI love day lilies, ours are red and yellow planted among fern in the tropical bed and it is very green due to all our rain. I love your dahlia also, all you plants are gorgeous as usual. Amazing to see a hummingbird sit long enough to photograph. Your garden looks as beautiful as always!
Yes! Another weather wimp! I suppose this is why we live in Oregon, but if this is the new normal...we are in big trouble. I can relate to everything you said. My garden is really struggling this year. The best part, the happiest part of everything was you song sparrow at the end! What would we do without song sparrows who have adopted our garden? Take care Gracie, I'll be thinking of you knowing your weather is just like mine, only maybe a few degrees hotter-:)
ReplyDeleteToujours de superbes floraisons
ReplyDeleteJ'adore la jolie Ipomoea quamoclit, je cherche des graines ;-)
Bonne semaine - @ bientôt
Your thirsty little plants are looking pretty good, considering. May I assume that you yourself are maintaining that fresh, vibrant look? Maybe someday I will get to see your glorious garden, although I might prefer to wait for a cooler time of year. (What on earth did people do before AC?)
ReplyDeleteWe're Oregonians with webs between our toes...of course we're at a loss to deal with what this summer is throwing at us. I wish I were as resilient as your beautiful garden is proving to be.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear that your heatwave is hanging on - it's hotter there than it is here, which just isn't right! I hope you get a break soon. In the meantime, your garden looks like it's taking conditions in stride. I'm sure the extra water and shade helps. You've got plants I've never even heard of - like that wonderful miniature morning glory.
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed looking at all your "perties." You're not alone in your weather wussness. I'm useless after it gets to the mid 80s. Do outdoor stuff in the a.m., like you, and then try to work on the book in the afternoon. Take heart--THEY (the weather prognosticators) imply we will have cooler temps and maybe a little rain by the weekend. What do THEY know? Half the time THEY get it wrong! We can always hope!!!
ReplyDeleteHello from the hot Poland :)
ReplyDeleteI am in love with your garden. You write about him beautifully. Greetings :))
I bet the nurseries dumpsters are full of all the stuff they've tossed since the heat wave. I love the stuff you've started from seed!
ReplyDeleteI was wondering how you were doing and how your garden was holding out with the heat...glad to hear you are both OK...wishing you some cooler weather soon.
ReplyDeleteGorgeous photos, Grace! Your sweet shot of the song sparrow made me smile. It's Daylily and Asiatic Lily time here, too. They're so cheery. That Alstroemeria has some interesting markings!
ReplyDeleteI laughed out loud at the palm. Hilarious. I think I might get permission to go after ours with a chainsaw if it looked like that.
ReplyDeleteThose poor Foxglove make me sick to my stomach.
I'm REALLY diggin' that Alstromeria!
My first dahlia bud was showing color this morning. Yeehaw!