We are having a heat wave. That sounds like the beginning of a song. We have been without rain for more than a week so I have begun irrigating regularly. Most of the perennials in the garden are over their season, so I am concentrating on containers. The hot dry weather is a test. The outcome will be an insight into which are the tough summer plants.
Six On Saturday will be the website that I visit tomorrow. It is a wonderful site where fellow gardeners post 6 photos of the week to share. You can too. The rules are found on the website.
It feels like summer but autumn is coming. A photo that I posted below shows some of the signs.
1.Brown Eyed Susan
This is a most reliable perennial. It is a native and thrives in the heat and with dry conditions. The blooms are small but they are abundant in both sunny and part shade conditions.
2. Rose of Sharon
This is a standout shrub and it is another hot weather champ. The abundant blooms are such a beautiful color. I have another with white blooms and I know where I can purchase one with blue blooms.
3. Purple Coneflower
The purple coneflower is only producing a few blooms now. I leave the seed heads for the birds. There is a grove nearby which is populated with American goldfinches that regularly comes to visit.
4. Eastern Tiger Swallowtail
Another great photo, taken by fellow gardener Sam Foley. The yellow Eastern Tiger Swallowtail is so large and showy. Its host plant is the tulip poplar (Liriodendron tulipifera) of which there is a large specimen nearby.
5. Butterfly Milkweed
The butterfly milkweed is the host plant for the iconic Monarch butterfly. The Monarch is migrating southward again. It will return to its winter quarters along the Gulf Coast and some will migrate as far as the Oyamel fir forests of central Mexico.
6. Red Buckeye
This red buckeye is beginning to sport its fall color.
Rain Gauge for the week
The gauge shows a significant amount of rain for this week. All of this is irrigation. The cylinder does need a cleaning.
This weekend is Labor Day Weekend. It is the last long weekend of summer. It is also the opening weekend of college football. I will be paying homage to that tradition tomorrow.
Happy Gardening!
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