We were hit with blast furnace heat here last week, with temperatures nearing 100F (37.8C). The heat, accompanied by high winds, took a toll on the garden, as well as the gardener. Although I supplemented the twice weekly automated irrigation received by most of my garden during our "warm season" with daily hand-watering of the most fragile plants, it wasn't enough to save them all. Although the losses are discouraging, as those of you in areas affected by the "polar vortex" know all too well, I was surprised by the number of plants that seem to be thrive in the heat. Based on a comparison with last year's photographic record, it appears that that many of my early summer bloomers have a 2-3 week head start this year, including many of my daylilies.
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| Hemerocallis 'Blythe Belle' |
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| Hemerocallis 'Double Impact' |
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| Hemerocallis 'For Pete's Sake' |
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| Hemerocallis 'Russian Rhapsody' |
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| Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem' |
Other perennials are also producing early blooms.
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| Achillea 'Moonshine' didn't bloom until late May in 2013 |
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| The Agapanthus are now appearing en masse - I stopped counting those in the backyard when the number reached 70 and I didn't even bother checking those in the front yard |
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| Gaura 'Snow Fountain' is taking off |
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| Leucanthemum x superbum 'Snow Lady,' although divided last fall, are also blooming early |
Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame' and its companion,
Anagallis 'Wildcat Mandarin,' sailed through the hot, dry weather without any sign they even noticed it.
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| I am definitely getting more Digiplexis when it becomes available in additional colors |
On the other hand, the heat and wind proved to be too much for some plants.
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| Baptisia australis, planted more than a month ago and doing fine until last week, was just taken off life support |
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| The demise of this Euphorbia 'Dean's Hybrid' is a mystery - those on the back slope that got far less water are doing fine |
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| The sweet peas, Lathyrus odoratus, collapsed virtually overnight |
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| Nepeta 'Pink Cat,' planted more than 6 weeks ago from starts as an experiment, all croaked |
In addition to these plants, I lost a large mass of
Ajuga 'Catlin's Giant'and one whole strip of plants along the driveway. Other plants are damaged or struggling.
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| Acer palmatum 'Purple Ghost' looked to be doing fine until I noticed damage to some of the leaves just as the heat wave came to an end |
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| The flowers on Dianthus barbatus 'Heart Attack' took a beating but the plants themselves seem healthy |
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| In addition to the grass in the one section of the front yard, which is most dead, there are patches in the backyard that are looking pretty bad - dethatching, fertilizing, aerating and overseeding are planned |
I expect that the lack of winter rain, combined with a pattern of stingy irrigation on my part, are factors in my plant losses and damage. However, as our drought is unlikely to end this year and as mandatory irrigation restrictions are possible (if not likely), I'm treating the lessons of this recent heatwave seriously. I'm considering new, more drought-tolerant options to replace the plants I've lost.
