Garden Pics: Braving the HEAT to Save our Blooms!!

Thread for just about anything that is going on in your garden, or whatever plants you felt like taking pictures of!! I hope that everyone joins in from anywhere, since we're all Northwest of somewhere!

We came from here: http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1015377/



I seriously considered posting a picture of one of my scorched plants to start this off. But, then I figured that it was best to start the thread of on a positive note and hope the August doesn't throw us any surprises!

For anyone new to this thread.... we're just coming out of the hottest 'hot spell' since 1981! So don't be shocked by any pictures of ugly plants!! lol



But I'm still sticking with my short series of positive ones for today.

rudbeckia

This one was really wilted on Wed. Who would've thought that it would pick up so quickly when it got down to the 90's?!?!

also the last that I have for tonight.

Ok, I lied, I just have to throw in one partially burnt one as my tribute to better things to come!!!

I love the rudbeckia- such a bold color. That green/melon flower (echinacea?) is definitely unusual looking, I like it. Been seeing more green flowers in the catalogs lately- some of them are really quite pretty.

I already posted all my blooms for the day, so here's a wee froggie. He was a bit startled when I scooped him up along with the fairy moss he'd been sitting on, but he was a good sport and held still for me. :)

Ohhhhh..... he's sooooo precious. And tiny is right! I forgot to mention or ask you when I posted earlier, are you finally feeling better after you run in with heat exhaustion/stroke? I sure hope so.

Yep, the green flower is an Echinacea. It's 'Green Envy'. Thanks! and the rudbeckia is cherokee sunset. Marginally hardy here. I think that your zone is it's lower limit, but I could be remembering incorrectly. I'm hoping to get seeds off of it.

Too bad I can't change the title now to "braving the heat to save blooms and critters!"

I still have the umbrellas over the pond- I'm not moving them until things cool down a bit. Got to keep my babies comfy!

I'm feeling better, thanks. Still kinda run down and the headache won't quite go away, but at least I'm not so terribly ill like I was. That sucked.

Here's another one of the same little guy:

ahhhh he's cute. glad that you're better. that's such a dangerous thing. Is there really any reason to remove the umbrella? maybe it could be moved a little when it's cooler so that there's some light. But I know folks who just keep shade over their ponds through out the summer. That might be easier anyhow.

I s'pose the umbrellas could just stay up, I just figured my water lilies won't bloom if they aren't getting any sun. I have enough plants in there now that in -normal- summer weather the water would probably be okay.

Glad to hear you are feeling better, 1pony.

RC, loving the 'cherokee sunset'. 'tomato Soup' bloomed and I like it. Now, to see if it survives the winter.

Glad it's cooling down a bit for you all. I know that is a relative term. :) It has been very humid lately here, but it is to be expected. Thankful for AC.

Yep..it's hot here, but not as hot as you! My tomatoes loved it, but I watered for 5 days in a row to stay ahead of things.

Redchic...
What is the 4th photo down? The red/white bloom? Love it!

1pony
Sorry to read you were sick. Being sick in the summer is the worst!




This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 6:19 AM

assessing heat damage ooooooo...not so good.
Your Eryngium looks like some of mine, RC. I tried hard to keep everything hydrated, but my efforts failed with some of the plants. I would have needed at least a week of drenching to keep the soil moisture level correct.
Perhaps another fitting title for this thread might be - bustin' our humps & takin' our lumps...
Plants are very forgiving, though. this heat did push new growth on the Tree Peony that i thought had died. whew! glad i didn't dig it up.

Highmtn - the red/white is a coreopsis & possibly 'Sweet Dreams'.

Jan - Ech 'Tomato Soup' bloomed & it's a very rich colour. I'm going to have to create a new hot colour bed for all these beauties. Hope this one performs well next year, too.

I like hot beds, too, Katye, unless I have to sleep in it. :)

Gives new meaning to the phrase "cat in heat".......

Awww! Kitty Belly! :D

fried hydranga

Katye,

The area is on the north side of my house and the neighbor's house is very close to the fence - when they expanded that side they did so without a permit and the city has "forgiven" them. This all took place a few years before I bought my house. I have 5 huge pots of arborvite but I would like to add something for screening and height next to the arborvite. The area gets about 2 hours of direct sun in the am but stays very bright all day. I was thinking bamboo because I have some in pots and it is so beautiful. This neighbor has the philosophy that if a plant seeds or spreads itself anywhere then that seedling should be nourished and cared for. She is the most unpopular person in the neighborhood and many people have complained but apparently there is not much the city will do. Well all these invasive plants are popping up in my yard. I would love something that would fill my needs and also start popping up all over HER yard. I know I am being childish and immature and maybe after venting about this I will grow up and forget it but it is really bugging me. There is maybe 3 feet between her house addition and my fence and she insists on planting Ailanthus trees in that small space and then gets irate when the city and I make her take them out because they start knocking my fence over. It's times like these that make me wish I lived in the country, but the rest of my neighbors are terrific and fun people and I like city life.
The photo shows my house and hers on the right. My house is 12 feet from my fence which is on the property line. I just went out to measure and there is 2' - 10" between her house and my fence.
Another photo to follow.

This photo shows the area behind a gate and in front of the shed/garage (really too old to be a garage!) with the compost bins, etc and the arborvite pots. I would like to find something to go in the area on the right of the photo.

Two more photos to better understand the area.
My house in the one on the left.

My house from the street
Thank you to anyone with a solution!

This message was edited Aug 2, 2009 6:33 PM

Make little seed balls with the most obnoxious plants you can get and fling them into her yard at night.

You know pony that may be the best solution! What kind of seeds should I use? And I wouldn't want them to cross the fence and come into my yard or grow through the slats in the fence and wreck it, like her English Ivy does.

I have never spent so much time on DG but the heat is making me stay in the house except for early morn and late evening. It's fun to keep up with the threads!

Fling them in other areas of her yard, not close to the fence. I'd try to get some thistle, or nice stinging nettles, or other prickly unpleasant things. See how she feels about "nurturing" them.

How tall, Judi? Colours? Evergreen?
Anything you send her way that would, uh, be prolific will come back to bite you...but your post made me laugh & I was not in the best of moods, so thank you very much for giving me a chuckle outburst!

picture of the Arborvitae pots - I'm confused: your post stated you want something on the right side with the Arborvitaes?

Our "ice cream cone" mountain has lost SO much of its ice that it barely has any cooling effect. The moon rising tonight does, however, add a bit of cooling. Agian, a picture that RJ has taken from my front deck.

I has to be tall, about 15 feet or taller. I don't want to plant anything on the invasive species list. I was thinking maybe a trellis with an evergreen vine? It would be in the space before you get to the Arborvitae if you are walking toward the shed. (Now I know the correct spelling of Arborvitae.) So if you were standing with your back to my house and directly in front of the Arborvitae it would be to the right.

Sharon nice mountain!

I try so hard to keep up with you all its not funny LOL
Hugs too all

Judi- I have an assortment of bamboos planted 17 years ago. I make s a wonderful screen and wonderful mulch which may be a problem with the constant leaf drop.

I've always wanted bamboo, and now I've seen the black and blue varieties, I want it even more. But I have NO idea where I could put it. Our back yard with its weird L-shaped layout and laurel hedge all the way around makes it difficult to place things. But the idea of having my very own bamboo source is sooooo appealing. I could build all manner of things! :D

Got it, Judi - evergreen vine: Clematis armandii. Another thing to consider would be something espaliered like a Pyracantha or Camellia. This would be more $$$, though, and grow slowly. Well, not the Pyracantha.

A large trellis with the C. Armandii as it will climb at least 15 - 20 feet. I would look into utilizing some of the more vigorous annual vines on the same trellis, to provide seasonal cover while the C. armandii is growing. One that I highly recommend is Cobaea scandens. I grew it from seed last year - it went up one side of an arbor, down the other & kept going. It was stunningly beautiful (IMO) and did not reseed. There are others, but I'm not sure what colours you prefer.

Another evergreen vine for me is crossvine. Mine is a yellow/brown, but I would prefer the orange.

I'm not sure Bignonia is fully evergreen here - perhaps semi. they are exceptionally vigourous, though. My friend has one that has covered the fence & beginning to climb a tree. Gorgeous.

Mine smells kind of chocolatey when it's blooming - the bees love it.

I may need to grow it on my fence up front. It's about 80 feet long & a blank slate.
Chocolatey? mmmmmmm.

Jan..... Thanks! Where have you been? I am in love with Echie tomato soup too!

Highmtn.... I don't remember seeing you here befor.... so welcome and hope to see you around here plenty! But, if the case is just that I don't remember that you here, well.... 'Welcome again!' lol Katye was right, the plant is Coreopsis Sweet Dreems. Unfortunately what I the tag said was 'Limerock Dream.' However, it's probably for the better as 'Sweet Dream' is a little hardier. I went back to the same place that sold it to me and that had them all mistagged. (they weren't in bloom when I was there before). I tried to find someone that worked there to tell them, but I ran out of time and had to go. Even I had found someone that doesn't mean that they would've believed me.

So..... do I do my good deed and go back to tell them that it's not Sweet Dreams, but Limerock Dream? or just leave it be, given that they'd be basing it on just my word?

Katye.... great call on the Answer!! Thanks. Oh.... I really like your title for this thread! that would've been great. I've never been a 'creative writer' of any sort, so I wish that I could go back and change it. If we all post enough stuff and get through this thread soon.... it should still be good for the next threads title!! Some of mine dried out, but some just flat out scorched, or maybe seered would be the right word! lol. I had some of them on a soaker hose all day, with the regular sprinkler system at night, and a few of those just sort of went kaput on the second day of that spell.

Pony.... Seed balls!!! that's too funny. I like it.

Portland.... I'm happy to see that your hydrangea at least made it ok, even if it is a little worse for the wear. I like the color of it though! You have a tough scenario between yours and the neighbors. If you don't mind arborvitae... there's quite a few options as far as color and texture go. I think that Katye's idea with the Clematis Armandii is a great way to go that is probably the most managable.

Irwells.... your crossvine is beautiful!!! and the fragrance sounds wonderful. I wish that they would grow in my location though.

Tilly... no matter if your ahead or behind, have fun where you're at!!

This message was edited Aug 3, 2009 5:42 PM

I looked into adding a trellis strip along the top of my fence for the C. Armandii but my fence is already at the maximum height so I will have to get a really tall trellis and put it in the ground adjacent to the fence. I might have to build one. If I were to put in a few black bamboos they would be next to the driveway which is about 10' wide. Would they be able to send up shoots further than that? And if they were right next to the fence would they eventually knock it over?

Red you tried to let the nursery know. Is there a big difference between the two?

Eventually back bamboo could send runners 10 ft. out, but it really depends on many factors of the soil and how much water it gets if it would be able to make it that far. I've seen runners go 30' in decent soil and with adequate water. But, that's likely not the case with your driveway. It probably wouldn't knock your fence over! But, it would grow under and around it. Those are my thoughts on it anyhow!

There is a pretty good difference between the coreopsis. I will post pictures of them both later.