Tuesday, August 28, 2018

This Long, Very Hot Summer

Well, if there was ever a summer of my discontent, this would be it.  It has been hot and humid and we've had little to no rain in my neighborhood.  I had daylilies bloom and never went outside to look at them.  I have done only minimal clean-up in the flower beds, leaving it all to be done in the fall.  Ask me if I believe in global warming.

As I sit here writing this it is 83 degrees F with 67% humidity outside - real feel 88 F.  On Sunday morning, the outdoor thermometer was recording 100% humidity and it WASN'T raining. 

I filled one compost bag with plants this morning before the sun came out and I began to drip sweat.  It is supposed to feel like 100 degrees today.  Unfortunately, I am not a summer person no matter how much I enjoy my plants.

All that being said, I did go out and take a few pictures after another blogger wondered where my flowers went.  Here are some that have survived and even thrived in this ungodly weather.
 Limelight hydrangea in the front garden.  They even smelled good.  Fortunately the deer only ate a few buds.
 Pineapple upside down cake hosta.  This has struggled for years, but must like the heat - good for baking a cake I guess.
 A good year for this sedum, too.  It has been so dry here that the deer have eaten sedum plants - something they usually avoid.
 Surprisingly, the deer avoided this dwarf Quickfire hydrangea. 
 A new clematis.  Don't know the variety and can't even remember where I purchased it.  It is thriving.  Three others were destroyed by rabbits and voles.  Of course, voles also chewed up the cable line to my house and the line had to be replaced.
 Flowers on Hosta 'June'.  If I was going to plant one hosta in my yard, this would be the one.
 Physostegia, which would take over if I did not pull it out.  The bees and hummingbirds love it.
 Bees also love garlic chives, though I have tried to eliminate chives from the garden.  Just too intrusive.
 All my rose hibiscus have had a good year.
And this small hydrangea has put on quite the show.

So there are some of my blooms.  Next week it is supposed to be a little cooler and I will start the fall clean-up.  I'd like to have it done before I head out west for vacation.

14 comments:

  1. Flowers are still very pretty! In contrast, this summer here has been so much more "pleasant" than the 2 other previous summers we've lived here. Cooler than the other two with less days over 110 and none over 120 like the other 2 years. We've gotten more intense monsoons in our neck of the woods compared to the previous summers though. It is interesting, Phoenix is such a wide area that you can have a devastating storm 10 miles away and it never comes your way but can impact commutes, etc., and cause a lot of damage. We did have one storm come through that was a macroburst with winds over 70 miles an hour that blew down a wooden fence and a metal shed at the rental house we have that our son lives in. That's been my only discontent this summer in that I've had to deal with insurance adjustors and then getting things fixed, etc. This morning there was a bit of coolness in the air and although the hot weather isn't gone, there are more days it will be pleasant than extremely warm here.

    betty

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    1. It rains at my son's house which is two miles away and doesn't rain here.

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  2. Thank you for showing your garden which looks so beautiful but I am so with you on this stupid heat. As soon as I go outside, my asthma kicks in and I become Ms. Hyde. I can't wait for cooler temps and no humidity. Glad the deer didn't seem to eat quite as much but the voles must go to that great Vole heaven in the sky. Our hostas did very well as did all our hydrangia. I love the hydrangea one where they are white but turn pink. I have a question for you....We bought milkweed that now aphids have come to eat and destroy. We tried squishing them, watering them with the soap and water thing but they keep coming back...any suggestions?

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    1. I have had aphid issues in the past. You need to use the soapy spray every day. Last year I gave up on some plants and just cut them down.

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    2. My hubby cut them down. Let’s hope next year will be better

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  3. I’m not a summer person either, Denise, and this one has been rough, even here near the ocean. Today? 95 with a heat index of 104. We’re in the middle of it, at the end of August. Ugh. Makes me dream of finding a summer rental atop a high mountain....Switzerland?!

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    1. One of my neighbors just moved to Florida. I told him he was nuts. It is cooler in Northern Michigan, but they have had torrential rains. Guess this is the new norm.

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  4. Definitely one of the hottest, most humid summers here too, but I'll take it over winter any day! ☺ A cold wet scarf around the neck does wonders to combat the heat. You have a beautiful garden, Denise. Thanks for sharing these lovely photos.

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    1. The cold doesn't mess with my asthma or my low blood pressure. I just hate having to stay indoors.

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  5. Your flowers still look as beautiful as ever. We too have had a ridiculously hot summer, but for the time being things are back to normal. Living in a loft, my garden is a large collection of tubs on a balcony, and today was the first day for ages I haven't had to go out with my watering can!

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    1. It is amazing that the high humidity has required less watering. Luckily, I also have a high water table which helps. I am enjoying the current 67F at noon.

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  6. Found you thru DUTA. All I can say is that your flowers look a lot better than ours (which have suffered thru an equally hot Pennsylvania)

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    1. We got rain yesterday and today. I am so happy! As for the flowers, I only show the good xtuff, lol.

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  7. Hydrangeas are almost my favorite flower. When his nibs and I renewed our vows my bouquet was green hydrangeas and lavender roses. It was beautiful. I've never seen anything like that Quickfire one.

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