Something To Do When It's Too Hot To Garden

Crassula perfoliata var. minor (aka C. falcata)
We've had a couple or three weeks of weather hot enough to keep me inside most of the day.  I was desperately bored and restless--enough to force me outside, hot or not.  Desperation breeds inspiration.  If it was too hot to return to major projects, small ones in shaded spots were waiting.  

This Growing Obsession post inspired me to place a pot of Senecio radicans so it would drape off the balcony.  The pot of Senecio by the front door was too shaded, and the stems were already dragging on the concrete below.  I started looping them back into the pot to prevent mashed Senecio around the entry.
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There. Moved. 
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All it need do now is grow.
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Some spare Sedum morganianum replaced the Senecio in the shaded alcove.  The Sedu needs less light.  All the stems were broken off bits, even broken off individual leaves that I threw in an empty trough for years.  They grew nicely in about 1 cm (3/8") of old soil, and formed a netting of root system in that 3/8" of soil.  I had only to lift the entire thing and place it in the new trough on top of several inches of mix.  They should do well.
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What else?  I noticed a volunteer begonia seedling by the pond filters.  How could a begonia sprout in a spot without irrigation?
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  Oh. The knife valve on the Cetus waste port was leaking water right to the begonia.  I had noticed a small pond leak about six weeks ago, but it has taken time to find it.  One filter's spider gasket was causing a leak;  I fixed that, but as it happened, there was another.
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A trip for plumbing parts followed, then Beloved added a new valve.  Pond leak solved. Thanks, honey!

Even in the heat, the Crassula's blooms needed to be photographed.
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I planted a Erigonum rubescens 'Rosy Cushion'.  Really a terrible time to plant anything, but--you know how it is.  At least it hasn't died yet.  It is a short-growing California native that produces a big show of pink flowers all summer.  We'll see how it does on the sharp-draining slopes here after a summer planting.
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Though Leucadendron salignum 'Blush' seems perfectly happy to have been planted in mid-July.  It's already growing. 
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A few more photos taken--a bit of ultra-rare summer rain during the night left roses damp.
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The day lilys continue to have an excellent year.  Drought-sufferers, take note. 
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'Bishops Castle' needs deadheading.
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Wow that is a big tomat--oh.  It's a pumpkin!
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The pumpkins are taking over the veggie garden these days.
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The leisure of small projects led me to discover that the small bit of  Nematanthus gregarius given to me by a garden buddy had rooted and grown.  I hadn't noticed.  There was even a flower.  This plant is apparently somewhat sensitive to overwatering--fortunately I never watered it.  Neglect has its virtues.
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It was a relief to be outdoors, heat or not.  The puppies are restless also.  July is always the worst of summer.  I hope August will prove to be a mild one this year.
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So what do I do when it's too hot to garden?  I garden.

Comments

  1. HA! Despite the heat, it's so hard to ignore the obsession, isn't it?

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  2. I garden but usually only in the early morning and late afternoon. I've been focused mainly on succulents and clean-up in preparation for the fall planting season. My daylilies are doing well too - my rebloomers got early starts on their 2nd bloom cycles.

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    1. I don't have much shade, so super early or super late for me. Autumn is starting to sound really good. ( Except for the Santa Ana winds.) Stay cool out there.

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  3. The lure of the garden sometimes is too hard to resist, even if it feels too hot to be outside. From reading yours and other blogs, Daylilies amaze me how heat tolerant they are!

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    1. I think they need some heat, actually. A few of them bloom off and on here almost year round, and if it isn't warm enough, the flowers do not open properly.

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  4. Hah! Your enforced dilletantish approach yielded some nice surprises. Maybe we should do that more often?

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    1. Well, there is plenty of hot weather still ahead....

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  5. Some lovely surprises dear Hoover.
    The crassula looks magnificent, also the day lily, such a pretty colour and the leucadendron, what a sweet little flower on the nematanthus, gosh it is a long time since I had one of those, they are commonly called 'goldfish' plants here. Your plant holder in the alcove looks stylish and lovely. The puppies seem to be happy chewing on their toy.
    xoxoxo ♡

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    1. They are called goldfish plants here also. The garden friend said hummingbirds go wild for them. As it grows, I will see if that is true here also. Problem: several other plants are also called goldfish plants here. Common names can be very confusing!

      The puppies seem to have a good time, no matter what.

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  6. I'll have to number the many points I have in response to your post. 1) that should be a dramatic draping opportunity for the fish hook senecio. 2) I've been consistently planting thru summer too, including leucadendrons. 3) buckwheats are also on my mind, the yellow one, Ella's Yellow or something, which Annie's might list in fall. 4) that Bishop's Castle is really something, a very blue pink, and the leaves look lush and healthy. 5) the past couple days here have been suspiciously mild, not making it over 80. 6) out of order, but I wonder if I'll ever graduate to pond hardware and pumps and whatnot. I'm such a Luddite. 7) the puppies' teeth look great. Ein is having his brushed today at the groomer. 8) can't believe you're growing pumpkins! I've got tomatoes and kale and that's it.

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    Replies
    1. 1. hopefully, hopefully.
      2. I won't tell anyone.
      3. just saw the yellow one at a local nursery. it had great foliage.
      4. and super fragrant!
      5 wonderful, isn't it?
      6. it's educational, because after messing with them, when a plumber explains something, you can understand it.
      7. they chew on antlers. and each other.
      8. cheap autumn mantelpiece decor, pie.

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