Hot, Hot, Hot

Record breaking temperatures do not make for happy plants.  It was even too hot to water the poor things.  The regular Monday/Wednesday/Friday waterings -- along with the moisture beads in the soil -- were not enough for a few of them.  I'm happy to say though that most of the containers did okay with the 107+ days.  Those in the shade naturally did even better.  But, the Sunpatiens and coleus looked liked wet rags on Saturday, June 30.  An emergency water run was called for just to get the near death plants back to life.  It was with welcome relief on Sunday morning to see that they had all revived with minimal damage. 

This is the recovered white Sunpatiens Sunday morning.  It had a few burned leaves and shriveled flowers but did come back after a big drink of water. 


One amazing plant that truly looked like it was a goner but bounced back in mere minutes is the Lysimachia 'Persian Chocolate'.  The ones around the Welcome Center garden were flat, gray and curled up -- but a few minutes with a hose and they bounced right back.  These will be used in more places next season. 

The true color is definitely more "chocolate" than this photo reveals, but you get the idea.  It is a great ground cover and an even better spiller for a container.

But let me tell you which plant didn't miss a beat in this heat -- the Lilac Wave Petunia.  It almost seemed to thrive on the duress.  Just take a look at this pretty little gal.

This is paired with a deep pink Cora vinca and Victoria Blue salvia.  The vinca and salvia drooped in protest to the heat but the trio recovered quickly.

Hopefully, that was the worst they have to go through -- and me too -- that wasn't much fun checking on 42 "children".  But it was rewarding to see them still standing proud.  I'll feature the caladiums next time around.  There are some great looking ones in the containers and the Welcome Center garden....check 'em out.