Fierce summer heat has arrived two months early, so it's time to clean the neglected indoors. Saturday:
Today, Monday. Hey, it's 20 degrees cooler than Palm Springs! Wheee!
Some plants love heat, or at least don't mind it. Fuchsias are not in that group. Last week:
Just now:
Sigh. On the other hand, Echeveria cante posesses a powdery white coating that protects it from intense sun. It was unhappy in winter, content in May-Grey. I have two plants, one sending forth a flower stalk.
Echinopsis oxygona blooms happily in warm weather. These will be the first flowers since I picked up this plant for 50% off a couple of years ago. Flower buds appeared immediately after a recent repotting.
Avocado 'Reed'. Yummmm! This variety produces fruit that matures in summer, unlike our winter crop of 'Fuerte'. I repeat, Yummmm. The best tasting Avocado of them all--buttery, nutty, with a luxuriously velvety texture. It too gets a white coating like Echeveria cante, but this bloom indicates oil content, rather than being sunscreen. I repeat, Yummmm!
Green tomatoes, green for weeks, finally turning red.
Your approach of cleaning inside is a great way to deal with the heat! I should follow your good example instead of just napping all Summer!
ReplyDeleteI get so restless and antsy indoors, and the house really does need deep cleaning and reorganizing.
DeleteHouse cleaning in summer ... made me giggle. It is a last resort,isn't it? Didn't know avocados produced at different seasons. So yummy and a great summer breakfast on toasted sourdough. That's an acceptable toast, but not fuchsias or hydrangeas. Soon as I can get outside, I've gotta remove some losers. There will be holes in the garden. Tagetes nelsoni, a complete loss, can you imagine?
ReplyDeleteIf you can find 'Reed' at your local farmer's market--they are a revelation. The avocado farmer's saying is: "Haas you sell, Reed you eat."
DeleteTagetes nelsoni?!? Wow. That is a surprise.
The intense heat at this time combined with the longest daylight hours of the year and the plants will all their spring growth not yet hardened, that's what did it. My Fuchsias with this heat in August or September are usually okay.
Me han encantado las fotos de las Ecfheverias, una preciosidad. Un saludo desde Plantukis
ReplyDeleteLos Echeverias son joyas preciosas.
Delete¡Mejores deseos para usted!
Winter is when you'll find my house clean(ish), in the summer...well it's just the bare minimum. Shame that's when we also tend to have house-guests! Here's hoping your heat will back off a bit...
ReplyDeleteTo every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven...a time to weed, and a time to plant; a time to vacuum, and a time to dust...how is it there's always more time to plant then there is to vacuum? :)
Delete15 degrees cooler today. Yay!
My backlog of ironing and some cleaning got done over the weekend but I was forced to spend Monday day sitting out my jury service obligation. June gloom is back here this morning and it's a lot cooler than it was yesterday (we hit 105F!), for which I'm thankful but it doesn't take away the sting of the losses I found late yesterday afternoon. I hope this heatwave isn't confirmation of the warnings that we're in for a difficult summer but I'm afraid it may be.
ReplyDeleteHope the jury waiting room had good a/c, and you did something of social value, tedious though it might have been.
DeleteI think I had some losses too, Fuchsias, mostly. :( Perhaps summer came in like a lion so it could go out like a lamb. We can hope, anyway.
Was also wondering if my E. cante could possibly deal with this strong sun. Yes, it can.
ReplyDeleteI was talking to someone at the SD CSS show about how carefully I was protected E. cante and he said his was in the ground inland SD in full sun and thriving--"What do you think that thick white coating is for?" Uhh. Duh. Good point. The invaluable San Marcos, though, says cool sun/light shade...
DeleteYour title made me laugh - my house is in an embarrassing state right now. But, what little time I have off is too precious to be spent inside. I feel for you all though - temps like that are inhumane. I'm sorry about your fuchsia - they are such great plants. Luckily you have avocados, tomatoes, and other lovelies as balm on your wounds.
ReplyDeleteYes no shortage of balm. :) I cleaned out a desk yesterday. It's just not as pretty and as fun as the garden, even the toasted garden.
DeleteThe flowers just kind of arrange themselves, I guess, because they look great!
ReplyDelete