Wednesday, July 8, 2009

116 Degrees??

Well, it is supposed to be 116 degrees this coming weekend and I'm thinking about my poor garden. Most of the plantings in my garden are heat tolerant, but there are just a few left over from Spring that will say their goodbyes here soon. Of course, all plants that are in pots right now are needing a little extra attention (ie:water) as the dry heat sucks all of the moisture from everything. We are, however, in the midst of monsoon season and we are actually at about 35% humidity right now (Wow, huh??) I know....you people from back East are saying whoopty-doo!
A plant that I can count on in this high heat is the Lantana. It needs very little water and it thrives in hot temps. The pic above is a close-up of the pink and yellow flowered one in my front yard.

That is it below as well.

Here is a close up of a bright yellow one I have in the back yard.


This thing has gone crazy wild. It is in dire need of a good trimming and I am adding that to my to-do list today. Lantana's can handle a trim during these HOT temps. It had quite a few more flowers on it last month.


Here is a close-up one of my lavender Lantana.




It hangs out over a huge planter that I built. I love this one the best. It is very fragrant and the butterflies love it.




Here is a close up of the red and orange one I planted last year.






It is very happy where it is and has exploded in size these last few months. You can see blooms from the Bougainvillea also mixed in (pink)(another heat lover). I do not know why I planted the red Lantana next to the pink Bougainvillea. I should have planted the pink and yellow Lantana there. The color combo bothers me a bit, but I think I have an idea on how to make the best of it. Another project on my to-do list. :-)





Still working on the picket fence and I'm almost done. Maybe next post?? If not, I'll share some more heat loving plants with ya :-)
Stay cool!
Michelle

9 comments:

  1. OMG!!!!!!116* whoa!!!!!!!! So technically it will feel like 126*! Sheesh! Girl stay inside somewhere! I hope it doesn't get that hot

    ReplyDelete
  2. I don't think I've ever felt 116 degrees! I love the lantana. Here it's just an annual and not growing very quickly. Isn't it nice to have a plant that gets that big and tolerates the heat!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Michelle,
    Love your garden....I can't imagine how you grow such wonderful things with that heat!
    Your header photo is gorgeous.
    I live in Michigan, so it's going to be interesting to follow someone with such a long gardening season, versus my very very short summer. Heck, we're STILL wearing flannel shirts in the morning!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Dropped by from Dirt Princess' place. I just had to nose around. Your gardens are beautiful, what a great picket fence you are building. I too enjoy lantana. I hope you drink plenty of water and pay attention to your body in that heat. Be careful..

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hi Michelle - my first visit to your blog and I love it. Found you on Dirt Princess blog. I love lantana too and find it to be very resilient. Love your blog.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I don't envy you those temperatures!

    BUT, I do envy your garden! LOL!

    Thanks for letting me know about this garden blog! I always get excited when I hear you are working on new projects for your beautiful garden!

    I LOVE lantana! So PRETTY!

    ReplyDelete
  7. i hope everyone survived this weekend!

    i headed up to Prescott to beat the heat...even got a few rain drops up there.

    enjoy your week!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Hey Michelle,

    I love your new garden blog. Will this blog be replacing your other one or are you just adding a second blog??

    Your yard looks beautiful and I'm loving the fence you are putting up.

    I have to tell you, the birdhouse is simply gorgeous...that thing is like a tank. We've had so much rain this spring and summer and it held up so beautifully. A big thank you is what I'm sending out to you. I get so many compliments on my beautiful birdhouse.

    Ruth

    ReplyDelete