July in the Yard

The unrelenting heat and the continuing lack of rainfall (just 0.37" this month) are very hard on our plants.  I am trying to water enough to keep things going, but inevitably we are going to lose a few things.  The things that get shade for part of the day seem to be faring best, along with the plants that most-resemble weeds!

  
Crepe myrtles bloom over a period of weeks and are brilliant splashes of color.  These can grow very tall and seem impervious to the heat and drought.








In a burst of enthusiasm, I planted a trumpet vine next to our fence.  It's been wildly successful.  I plan to cut this back severely once winter arrives.

 Close-up of one bloom-cluster.  The brilliant color is so striking!

  

The rose 'Little Pinkie' also seems to thrive in adverse conditions.  It continues to bloom and grow.

  

Obedient plant (a misnomer given its habit here in Arkansas) has been stunted by drought (thank heavens!) and is blooming early.  Once the blooms are finished I plan to use Round-up on these invasive plants, though I have little hope of eradicating them entirely.

And the wonderful black-eyed Susans (which I usually just call Rudbeckia)-- given to me by a quilting friend-- are likely to spread, but are more welcome than the obedient plant.   I am very grateful for the flowers that can thrive under such adverse conditions and make the spirit of Summer so cheerful.

This Week in the Garden

We have had more than six inches of rain in the last 10 days, most of it from the storm systems that battered our state (and then moved on to blast other states to the east as well.)  The ground is saturated, but most plants are delighted.  

Missouri Primrose

New this week are evening primrose (so-called) and Missouri primrose (sometimes called sun-drops in catalogs.)  The plants are completely different, and I suspect they are unrelated.  The pink flower is found in abundance along roadsides just now, along with red clover.  The bright yellow flowers are a joy to see in the yard; I look forward to them every year.  There is a little story with these:  we were traveling in up-state New York (near Westfield and Fredonia) and stopped at a barn sale.  The little stone house and stone barn were set in a lovely spot shaded by huge oaks; the elderly pair had lived there all of their married lives and enjoyed telling about building the barn.  I admired the blooms in the yard, and the little wife asked if I would like some of the plants--"They need dividing anyway."  She pulled out a transplant spade and dug a chunk on the spot; I carried that in the car all week and plunked it in the ground when we got home to Ohio.  It spread prolifically, and I gave samples to friends all over town; when we moved to Arkansas, I brought some along. 

Oenothera--Evening Primrose

This is a volunteer, but very welcome.

The iris bed was rather battered by the winds, and many of the stems were bent over.  The brave little irises, undeterred, lifted up their heads and bloomed on.










Two of the climbing roses in the yard are 'oldie but goodie' New Dawn roses.  The repeat-blooming, fragrant climbers have truly lethal thorns, but are so beautiful and adaptable that I consider them worth it.  I had to tear out a lot of honeysuckle this spring....really got ripped to shreds trying to reach in among the canes.  Ow, ow, ow.

Lovely!  

The heavy rains stripped the petals from the early-blooming Mier y Teran roses, but these are putting on quite a show.

Next week:  Shasta daisies.  

Nearly August

The months of July and August, in Arkansas, are almost always brutal. Heat and humidity, plenty of mosquitoes, and the surreal cacaphony from dozens (make that hundreds) of locusts seeking mates...... ever notice how much hotter that sound can make it seem?


But there is always something blooming to cheer us up. In response to recent rains, these 'surprise lilies' have popped up--no foliage, only a stem with the flowers. Just lovely.


And then, the houseplants that spend the winter inside are all outdoors enjoying the weather even if I do not. This mango tree has sent up a whole new extension; the bronze-red of the new leaves has now turned to bright green.



The trade-marked WAVE petunias that I tried out a couple of years back made such an impression that I went looking for more.



The color selection was limited, but these have been fun. Petunias are tough little plants, but the Wave variety are still more amazing. They never stop blooming, they continue to spread, and they tolerate really tough conditions. (They'll last through a few frosts, too.) I'm sold on them.