June 26, 2012

Uber-Summer Begins...88 Days Until Fall


88 days...88 days...88 days...88 days...88 days...88 days...88 days...88 days...



The mercury reached 109 Fahrenheit today.  Let's give that a moment to sink in: 109F today.  As I write at nearly 10:00 pm, it's still 98 degrees.  The prediction for tomorrow is cooler weather: 104F...a slight improvement.

With a few exceptions, not many plants stand up to intense temperatures and prolonged periods with little rain.  There are a few stalwarts in my garden that manage to remain calm and collected no matter the conditions.

Clothed in cool silver/gray foliage and shades of lavender and apricot; globe mallow, prairie verbena and verbena bonariensis don't find themselves slumped over at midday, wilting under the summer sun.  They stand arms wide open, enticing any determined butterflies and hummingbirds that dare to be out and about in the harsh heat of the big, bright sun.

As uber-summer takes a firm grip on our fair city I'm taking notes on which plants are sturdy and confident in the heat and which might need to be relocated.  Uber-summer is always a good time for taking stock and doing some mid-season planning and dreaming of our second growing season.  Lots of dreaming...

Countdown to fall: 88 days.




26 comments:

  1. I am counting down. Thank you for the number. Tomorrow, 87!

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  2. Hi Cat, so you are raindancing as well. I should countdown also for the rain, but we dont have exact time when it will come. So more raindancing for us to do!

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    1. Yes, Andrea I'm rain dancing along with you for sure!

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  3. Yes, let the countdown begin. Today was brutal. It was blazing hot this morning when I walked the garden. I'm so grateful we got some rain in the Spring. Maybe we will get a tropical depression that will park itself in the Gulf. Stay cool:)

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    1. I hope so, Steph. Seriously, I'm a little jealous of Florida getting all the rain...I was really hoping that storm would move our way.

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  4. Wow, summer is upon us right quickly! As we've had our first 100-degree days this week, I found myself already saying, how many more days till it is cooler? Now I know. Thanks! So far it is much better than last year, but I know that can change in a heartbeat.

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  5. Great advice Cat! Fall seems a long way off. We are suppose to reach 106 on Friday and it isn't even July yet!

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  6. ouch that is too hot...I have my seasonal counter up as a reminder for me to live each day, but also I only have so many days to do some work and make plans for changes come fall...it will be here all too soon...wishing you a break from the heat!

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  7. uber summer. a perfect description of this season. *sigh* i feel lucky - we were only 106 in dallas area. :)

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  8. Hi Cat, Wow, only 88 days to fall. Time flies. I start wilting when it hits 34 degrees Celsius here (which I believe is 94 degrees Fahrenheit). It is the high humidity that I find zaps your energy. We have had July temperatures in June so I wonder what next month will bring. For today it is grey and overcast so I am grateful because I have a few new things to plant.

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  9. 109F...I wonder if that's in our summer this year? "Uber summer"...a nicer, more chic way to say what I call "hyper-summer" in Phoenix and places nearby there. Your image of what is withstanding the heat is nice, as it still looks better than what we have here at only 99F!

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  10. It is hot, already. We had 111 on our thermometer here, yesterday.
    Love those tough plants. The deer ate all the blooms off my verbena bonariensis, though....grrrr....
    I need to start a reading class for them. They don't know which plants are on the 'deer resistant' list. :)

    Stay cool....pray for rain.

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    1. 111! It's just too soon for this...we should at least get to celebrate the 4th first!

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  11. I, too, am dreaming of the cooler days of fall. 88 days, eh? Time to start planning for those great fall veggies, and looking forward to those fall bloomers.

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  12. Love this plant combo; it's on my list for fall planting. This week's heat is showing me the survivors in my new landscape, too. So far, gaura and fireworks fern are doing well, while firebush is surprisingly wilty. Back to fall garden daydreaming...

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    1. Amy my firebush gets a little droopy in the late day too in these kinds of temps but it always recovers nicely. I'm growing 'fireworks' gomphrena this summer for the first time and it's looking good. Do you grow it too?

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    2. You're right; firebush always looks much better once the sun has set. Don't have any fireworks gomphrena now, but it's on my radar since seeing it over on Rock Rose's blog. It might go on the fall list...

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  13. We're forecast for 103 on Friday. 109 is just too much for me. I think you need lots and lots of outdoor curtains! :o) I actually went to a nursery first and looked for plants I had seen on your blog but they either didn't have them or they were teeny annuals (prairie mallow). Someone suggested I plant a cactus. I almost cried.

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  14. Hi Cat. I wasn'y actually counting the days until autumn until I read your post but it is how I feel about the relentless heat. We share similar plants although I think you have less winter rain than us. Christina

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  15. Wonderful. I'm pretty sure I just pulled out a verbena bonariensis plant. It was doing so well, and it just looked like some type of bastard grass.

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  16. Hi Cat,
    I hope the weather cools down soon for you. The heat can be quite terrible. I've grown up in India and have faced my share of brutal summers. Monsoon time was such a huge relief.. of course the roads would get flooded and that was another challenge. But at least it wasn't hot!!
    See you in class
    xo

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  17. Oh me oh my..... I'd tried counting the days until it fell below triple digits last year (the uber summer to end all uber summers - we hope) and got tired once I ran out of fingers and toes. It was all so...debilitating. I refuse to accept it will be that hot that long this year (REFUSE I SAY) but I'm afraid you're correct and I'm merely stubbornly delusional.

    Your plan to watch what withers and encourage whatever survives sounds like the only reasonable approach. Globe mallow is a new one for consideration. Do you suppose it is deer resistant? That would throw it on the "perfect" list for around here.

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    1. Deb, we don't have deer to contend with but the leaves are fuzzy so maybe they would shy away from it? I know the rabbits will eat it; especially the young leaves. Bunnies have eaten all the lower leaves off the pink mallow but have left the orange alone so far.

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  18. Laughing at your countdown. hahaha Funny. I know- 109. ugh. But at least this weekend it is to "cool" down some- at least semi-normal.

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  19. 109?! Okay, I won't complain about our unusual 90 degree temps in Maine today. Next summer, be sure to head north to Maine. We tend to count down to summer, not away from it. But in winter I shall be envying you.

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