Containers That Worked

Believe me I have some that did not work in this summer's heat.

Coleus Redhead, Dichondra and Cordyline

This one never even had a wilt during the intense heat because they are in very large containers, less chance of the soil drying.  I am going to try to invest in a couple more larger containers for next year.

Supertunias Bubblegum and Bordeaux

Not all Supertunias perform like these two!  Even the Supertunias need a little trimming and fertilizer this time of year.

This is a basket that I put together early in the season, never had a chance.  The Japanese beetles ate everything in it, Sweet Caroline sweet potato vine, beautiful geranium and Cranberry Crush superbells.  It is just starting to revive for the fall season.

When I first planted this I did not have much hope for it being a great container.  However, it has become my favorite, Caladium Aaron with Orange Guinea Impatiens.  I really like this caladium, more petite and stronger than many of the other varieties.  It hangs on the fence under my neighbor's old lilac tree.

This is the one hanging basket that I purchased at Home Depot.  Each year I have brought home one of their tuberous begonia baskets and so far they have not disappointed.  Many of the other with overgrown plantings have not been a good investment.

Mystic Illusion Dahlia and Phantom Petunia

I have a couple of other plants in here but I can just imagine how spectacular this would have been in a larger container.  It dried out quickly and needed daily watering, sometimes more.

I love hayracks on a little shed, but oh what a chore it is to keep the plants alive.  The soil dries out too quickly and I had to pull the zinnias and put in the superbells.  I am totally rethinking this one for next year, how about cactus?

These are the nasturtiums in my veggie garden growing up an obliesk.  They are infringing somewhat on my peppers, but I hate to pull them out.

I should have just stuck with the Algerian Ivy, the impatiens hardly bloomed all season.

Rex Begonia

This is a plant that likes the heat, formerly a houseplant but being used more and more in the outside garden.  We wintered this over inside from last year.



Coleus Sedona and Blackheart Sweet Potato Vine

I have kept it pretty simple this year, no more than three types of plants in a container.  We all know that some of those multi-flowered containers begin to show stress half way through the summer.  It is always upsetting to see some of the lovely plants in an expensive container drying up when the rest look fine.  I am almost ready to go to the single plant look if it withstands the high temperatures!

How Did We Ever Survive?

Without air conditioning....

Phlox Blue Paradise loves the heat and has been deadheaded to keep blooming until frost.

Our central air stopped working the other day and you would have thought we were all going to expire, even the dog was miserable.  Luckily, our service man came quickly and had us back in the cool the next day.

Phlox Lavender David

Phlox David

Later blooming

Phlox Eva Cullum

Later blooming

Phlox Franz Schubert and Laura

Deadheading now for rebloom until frost

My Mystery Phlox

Unlabeled last year at Home Depot

Phlox Thai Pink Jade

A gift last spring from the Garden Writer's Workshop

Well, I guess you can see I am really hooked on phlox for the heat.  Even in 100 degrees and some water it bounces back.  If you really want to love phlox just make sure you plant something in front of it to cover it's not too pretty legs.

I did not grow up with air conditioning but I do remember my brother and I going to my aunt and uncle's house (they had all the modern conveniences) and putting our faces in front of the window unit.  Maybe it didn't get this hot then, but in the city the homes were quite close together with little air circulation.

Geranium Blue Sunrise begins with yellow leaves that slowly turn green, weaves gently, loves the heat!

Bob's Blunder Geranium, hugs the ground but also weaves very gently, bronze leaves and tiny lavender flowers - doesn't even know how hot it is outside.

I could barely think about the garden when I was wondering where and how I was going to sleep.  I think I now know how the plants feel with day after day of heat and no cool place to go.

Heliopsis Sunshine Lorraine

I have had this plant for several years and this is the best it has been.

Daylily Tetrina's Daughter

Tall and slim, about four feet middle-late blooming

We didn't spend much time in the house during the summer, catching fireflies in jars during the evening and going to the park district pool during the day or frolicking under the circular sprinkler on the front lawn.  After building our little tent cities in the backyard sleeping under the stars was a great treat.  The popsicles tasted like real fruit with banana being my favorite.

I had to take the zinnias out of this planter because I could not supply enough water to sustain them, but not so for Verbena Imagination.

Dahlia Mystic Illusion and Phantom Petunia and I have certainly found out what Gerber daisies like - HEAT!

I am planning ahead for more hot summers, Allium Summer Beauty has been planted for summer, fall and winter interest.  It likes the heat and is drought resistant.

I was a gardener back then with my carrots around the catch basin, rhuburb and corn along the south side and morning glories growing up the garage wall.

My carrots now are coming up under the daylilies in my vegetable garden, daylilies cut down, carrots revealed.  Well, we will see how this works out!

(The header is the alley garden with Panicum Northwind, Centranthus Alba, Agastache Blue Fortune, Nepeta Walker's low, Sedum Autumn Fire and Sedum Vera Jameson - all drought and heat resistant)

Close

It was not my intention when first planting my garden to make it weed and heat resistant.  I had this small space and wanted to grow so many plants that I had to layer them for successive bloom times.

Becky Shasta can become floppy after a storm or when they get as large as they have this year.  The firmness of the Knockout roses in the foreground give them some stability.  Once the Becky Shastas and Lavon Lilies are finished, they will be trimmed, lilies a small amount and shastas to the ground.  The roses will take over again and bloom until the first frost.

Red Rum is a shorter daylily in this full border.  They will be cut down when finished blooming and again the roses and heucherellas, perennial geraniums and brunnera will take over.

There are many benefits to growing plantings close together, i.e., weed control, moisture retention because the roots are shaded, support for surrounding plants on the sides and back and blooms throughout the season.

This is a mid-season blooming phlox, unlabeled last year at Home Depot.  I think it might be Peppermint Twist.  You can have phlox blooming all season if you plant varieties with different bloom times and extend them even further by deadheading.  Blue Paradise in the background is the first and last to bloom in my garden.

Laura is a shorter phlox and covers up the stems and possible brown leaves of Franz Schubert.  I always grow something in front of phlox, such as, daylilies, roses, etc.

Chicago Rosy Daylily covers the stems of Franz Schubert on the driveway side.

Bubblegum Phlox is beginning to bloom in the island bed.

Eileen Clymer Daylily blooms in front of it on one side and Lavon Lilies on the other.

Orienpet Lavon Lilies

Chicago Apache Daylily

Don Stevens Daylily

Orienpet Conca d'Or

This is wonderful mid-size lily that is striking in the front border.  When cut the stalks will be hidden by the shrubbery and and other plantings.  The lighter colored lilies do better in the heat, darker ones tend to fade in full sun

The heat has been intense, over 100 degrees with little rain but all of these plantings have weathered well with some water each day.  The hydrangeas and rhodies do not do well in the heat no matter how much you water (one rhodie lost).

Supertunia Vista Bubblegum

It was 102 degrees when I took this photo.  Lots of plants in the garden look a little weepy, not this one!

My goal is to have plants that hold up to the heat in containers and there aren't many.  However, this is one that does in baskets on my fence.  It isn't always exciting to have just petunias in a container, but it's alive and beautiful with minimal watering!

Again, not always exciting, cactus, crotons and purslane, but they love the heat and look great all summer.

Our climate is not what it used to be and slowly I am beginning to choose more appropriate plantings and using methods such as more dense planting to conserve soil moisture in times of extreme heat.  I have also learned that the larger the planter the easier it will be to maintain container plants throughout the season.  Makes sense doesn't it? 

Heatwave

It's been an interesting week of survival in 100 degree heat for many of the plantings that we choose to grow in zone 5!

Zahara Zinnia is my plant of choice for the south side of my house.  They love the heat.

My roses have been attacked again this year even though I used the new Bayer Systemic advertised to combat Japanese Beetles.

The containers have required watering two to three times per day to keep from wilting;

Redhead Coleus is planted in my smaller turquoise containers, too small for this large of a plant.  These are the containers that I had to water three times a day in the heat!

Indian Summer Coleus can withstand high heat without wilting.

The tightly planted back border looks great because the plants shade each others roots.

The mid-season daylilies are blooming joining the end of the early and extra early (Eileen Clymer, extra early, has bloomed for six weeks).

Mary Todd in the foreground is an early bloomer but it is overlapping with a mid-season bloomer in the background.

Chicago Rosy in the background

Cherry Cheeks in the back garden side border.  It is a mid-season to late season bloomer.

Dark Ruby

Early to mid-season still blooming at the end of July!

Chicago Apache

This is a mid-season daylily that has just begun to bloom in the raised bed on the south side.

Entrapment

I purchased this at Home Depot last year mainly because of the name.  Entrapment is a mid-season bloomer.  It is a shorter daylily and I will have to move it in the fall because it is behind Eileen Clymer and blooms after but is hidden by the long blooming Eileen.

Ice Carnival

It is more of a yellow tinged white and grows in my raised bed vegetable garden mid-season.  The nice thing about it is that the day old flowers are hardly noticeable as mushies.

Nutcracker Suite

Very strong scapes on this mid to late season bloomer, tinged with peach.

Rain spattered Mauna Loa early to  mid-season (big storm again today) in the front garden.

Joan Senior

Supposedly one of the best whites mid-season but has never been a real strong grower for me.

Barbara Mitchell

One of the best pinks mid-season but has been in two years and this is the first year with blooms and very few!

Daylilies love the heat, still need some water, but are great performers!