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| Blue Plumbago defies the heat and starts to bloom!! |
That 95% rain chance yesterday?
Good thing I didn't bet on it, because in reality the 5% likelihood of not-a-single-drop-of-rain came to pass.
So I trudged out this morning to see what had shriveled up and died overnight. And that's when I saw it.
Direct afternoon sun. Clay soil. Surrounded by wilting zinnias, fading coneflowers and limp-leaved crape myrtles --- the hardy blue plumbago (
Ceratostigma plumbaginoides) had puffed out its metaphorical chest and said, "You feeling a little
hot? How about I cool things down with these true-blue flower petals,
y'all?"
I love it. I love that with just a bit of supplemental water and a lot of affection, hardy blue plumbago is standing strong and unfurling flower petals in the triple-digits.
And since the last post was a little doom-and-gloomy, how about a few other pics on some other plants that are toughing out the drought (so far):
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| Riesentraube cherry tomatoes are ripening up nicely |
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| Spanish Musica pole beans are hanging in there, although the leaves are crinkling and beans themselves are curly. We had our first bean harvest last night, sauteed in olive oil. Could this curling be due to the heat? |
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| Here's a little bee on a big purple coneflower... |
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| And here's a smaller flower with a bigger bee...and a skipper butterfly. I didn't even notice the skipper until after I took this photo. He might have skipped into the picture while I was pushing the shutter button. |
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| Who won this staring contest? The skipper! The bee flew off to a different cone flower. |
Good old plumbago!
ReplyDeleteWe got some actual rain yesterday, and the heat is supposed to break on Sunday, at least for a while. Drought getting pretty severe, even so.
ReplyDelete@Jason - Congrats on the rain. We're supposed to get a break in the heat Sunday/Monday too. Let's hope the forecasters are right and that cooler temps come with RAIN!
ReplyDeleteI know just how you feel about that 95% chance turning into absolutely nothing! I usually think they have a monkey sitting there banging on a number pad and that's how the rain chance percentages get formulated :)
ReplyDeleteThe curling of the bean is likely a mix between the heat and variances in watering.
Ha! That monkey-at-the-number-pad image made me smile! I will never look at rain percentages the same way again :)
ReplyDeleteI can't control the heat, but would I need to water daily to get straight beans? (In regular not-record-heat weather, it's my understanding that plants like tomatoes actually do best with weekly or maybe twice-weekly deep watering, but that other plants like cucumbers need more frequent irrigation. Would you say that's accurate and where do beans fall on the watering scale??
Gotta love the tough plants that manage to show off color in spite of harsh conditions. Hope you get some rain soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks Joene :)
DeleteWe DID get a cool down and a little rain. Not as much as the forecasters had predicted, but it still had an amazing restorative effect on the garden. Hope to post pics soon!
Here's hoping for some rain and a drop in the temperatures!
ReplyDeleteYou asked about the Vitex -- yes that's a Chaste Tree. It is very drought tolerant and has a long season of bloom, much like a crape myrtle.
Wow, you're getting some really hot weather whereas in Northern Ireland we're getting high 50s today by afternoon and 40s in morning and evening. We're usually about 10degrees higher for this time of year. Your plants seem to be doing well even in the heat, tomatoes look good.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment! I had the pleasure of visiting Northern Ireland once and driving the Causeway Coast from Belfast to Londonderry. One of the most beautiful drives of my life!
DeleteI've heard that it's been a cool and wet summer so far in your part of the world. I suppose it's nice that it's balancing out somewhere, but wish that you could ship us some of your rain in exchange for a bit of our heat!
I've got my fingers crossed you get some much needed rain today or tomorrow. There is still a chance. We've had a little over one inch in the last three days and it has truly been wonderful. It makes me think I might just want to live forever in Tennessee but then again one never knows. Your plumbago looks great! I have one but it has not bloomed thus far.
ReplyDeleteThanks Tina.
ReplyDeletePrayers, rain dances, crossed fingers - we'll take whatever you have that might increase our rain chances ;-)
May I ask what part of Tennessee you live in that you've gotten 1-inch of rain? I know there's been rain all around us -- looked like a lot to our South last night down around College Grove and Spring Hill - but nothing in our garden. Well, just a few teasing sprinkles...
Sorry to hear it. We're still operating on less than a half inch of rain since May here in Madison, Wis., too. In most years, that would be a challenge. But this year, with triple-digit heat, it's even worse. Trees, shrubs, and plants are dying all over the place. And the corn crop is all but wiped out. I hope we both get rain soon, but gentle, continuous rain so it's not a deluge. Take care!
ReplyDeleteVery sorry to hear that! We *finally* got rain all day today. It's made a huge difference with many of the garden plants bouncing back. I'm sure that there will be some lasting damage here and I know it's too late for much of the corn crop, but I do hope you get rain and cooler weather soon!!
DeleteWe are suffering through a bit of a dry period as well. I hope things change soon. Your plants are hanging in there...hope things improve soon.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the encouragement! It's actually been raining all day today!! A nice steady rain -- and plants are bouncing back!! I'll post the happy photos soon :)
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