Hot, hot, hot
June 06, 2006
The weather feels like August already—high 90s and no rain in sight. It’s broiling out there. This kind of heat makes me glad to have a garden full of xeric perennials. But, honestly, it’s hard to feel glad about gardening when one melts into a puddle of grimy sweat after 5 minutes of exertion.
Well, the garden doesn’t seem to mind the heat (so far). I had to cut back a lot of the perennials this morning to keep them compact and to encourage a second bloom. Here are some photos of what’s blooming right now.
Manfreda maculosa. The flower is blooming at the end of a 2-foot-long stalk.
Mexican oregano and Indigo Spires salvia make a cool pairing in the sunny front garden.
White skullcap, agave, and Mexican oregano
That is a cool agave – and a great name. As always, your photos are both inspiring and daunting at the same time.
Have the Inland Sea Oats been invasive for you? I bought a pot of them at the Sunshine Gardens sale, but have chickened out on planting them in my semishady clay. Do you think they’d seed less if I had them in one of the decomposed granite areas?
Thanks for viewing my baby-steps attempt at a blog – this afternoon my husband oversaw my addition of a blogroll. Any little bit of progress gives me hope that I’m not too old to learn.
Annie
The inland sea oats ARE invasive, but not such that I don’t recommend them. Mine are in a contained bed surrounded by large gravel. They seed out in the gravel but are easily removed when small with an application of Round-Up or even by pulling. They have not spread to any other beds via wind, as the seeds are pretty heavy. I don’t think they would come up in decomposed granite, but you never know. There are plenty of weeds that love the top two inches of my decomposed-granite paths, to my eternal aggravation.
Just make sure you give the sea oats afternoon shade unless you plan to water them frequently. They’re tolerant of dry shade and clay soil, but mine do enjoy the run-off from the gutter during our infrequent summer rains.
P.S. I’ve learned that the secret to good garden photos is taking about 50 shots for every two or three you plan to post. And of course, taking them during the “golden hour” just after sunrise or before sunset. For close-ups, use macrofocus on your camera if you have it, and turn off your flash. Have fun!