Something Must Like August Heat

Is the rose sweating, too?  
Rosa 'Tuscan Sun'
It was so blankety-blank hot for the past three weeks I hardly went outside, didn't want to visit other gardens, didn't want to garden or even take photos.  I went to a garden center and saw a lot of toasted and half dead plants--depressing!  There were a couple of Mango and Papaya trees that looked ecstatically happy.  The tropicals love August heat, but my garden is not tropical.  It just felt like it. 

Mostly I stayed indoors with a big glass of ice water at hand every moment.  Yesterday was the first truly comfortable day in three weeks, and the first opportunity to enjoy the garden again.  The new Ligustrum hedge is mostly planted.  I put one or two in whenever the weather was sort of bearable.   Dirt had to be moved and screened to remove bits of concrete, and I was the one who had to do it.  I've been watering the hedge and spraying the foliage with water as often as possible, and I had the plants under shade cloth for a while as well.  The baby Ligustrums held up well as long as they were lavishly watered.   Several times I watered myself too, to cool off. 
Ligustrum hedge
I started watering the very sad 'Meyer' lemon tree as well, since it's right there by the new hedge.  Within a few days, new foliage and lemon blossoms appeared.  Now I know what the problem was:  watering once every two months isn't enough.  Duh!
Lemon blossom
It was so good to be outside looking at flowers again.  The foliage on Salvia muirii looks toasty, but it's blooming like crazy.  This may be my favorite Salvia.  Tiny, beautiful, well-behaved, blue...
Salvia muirii
Since it is the tail end of August, the Urginea bloom has appeared.  Last year I had two spikes, this year only one.  I tried out the macro lens again.
Urginea maritima 
What is the function of those little brown threads?  Urginea maritima
This photo turned out kind of cool.  Reminds me of a newly developing spike on an Aloe ferox, only white. 
Urginea maritima
 One of the Yucca 'Margaritaville' finally had a bloom.  It's been years and years--seven, I think, since I planted them.  This is the first flowering.  I guess something likes August heat, even if I don't.   We got the first bloom on Yucca 'Color Guard' this year as well.  I was surprised at how ephemeral the flower spike was.  Seeing an Agave bloom spike last for months, and an Aloe last for weeks, I was expecting more than a few days from the Yucca.  but it was here and gone in a week.
Yucca flower

 

Comments

  1. You keep on supprising me with your beautiful plants and photo's.
    Have a great weekend Hoover.

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  2. Thanks Marijke. I hope you have a great weekend too, with perfect weather.

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  3. At least you don't have 5 months of it! But then again, you are getting close to Santa Ana time, so maybe you do, too? Is it 80's with higher humidity, or hotter with less humidity? I feel your pain in that it just cannot rain here in the rainy season. But your plants looks pretty good, that which you show. Hang in there...soon, it will be over!

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    1. True, 5 months would be horrible. Santa Anas mean 95F with 5% humidity and sand blowing into your eyes. Pretty comfortable for humans, but h-ll for plants.

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  4. The same thing (short bloom time) happened to my Yucca 'Bright Edge' this year, whereas it bloomed much longer and with multiple stems last year. I hope I don't have to wait seven years for a bloom on the Y. 'Color Guard' I planted last year - yikes!

    But wait, no puppies? I need my Samoyed fix!

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    1. I don't know why they took so long. They grew quite a lot. No fertilizer--might that have done it? Or because it was so dry? Or no winter chill?

      Puppies sat still long enough today for me to get a couple pics--they'll be there Tuesday.

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  5. Wow, that new hedge is going to look great. Love the yucca. I've never heard of an Urginea before, what a beauty! nice pics of those spikes. You'll have to post it blooming

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    1. Thanks Deanne, Urginea is a South African bulb the size of a bowling ball. I'll post some photos of the little flowers.

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