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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? 

Heat Lovers

We need really tough plants now!  I guess we could have seen this coming with the past few summers hotter than hot, revamping garden beds, rethinking containers plants, looking for xeric perennials that can withstand this type of climate.

Mary Todd daylilies can certainly take the heat but all daylilies need to be watered to thrive.

Ice Carnival Daylily thrives at the end of the vegetable garden, almost removed them this year, but they have performed better than ever.

The heat many times causes yellow leaves on the dayliles, just pull them off as you see them, will not harm the plant.

Blue Paradise Phlox

Phlox can take the heat but need to be watered (see hose ready in background)

Laura Phlox

Becky Shasta Daisy

Loves the heat as long as you cut off spent blooms and water if wilted

Echinacea Kim's Knee High Red and Mango Meadowbrite

During the winter I received a media order sheet from Renee's Seeds.  I ordered lots of goodies from Renee and am growing them in my garden.

The veggie garden is lush this year with Big Daddy tomatoes (supposedly an improvement on Better Boy) and Celebrity determinate tomatoes on the end.  The lettuce is Stardom Mix from Renee's Seeds.

This is an Oak Leaf lettuce that I planted with a mix, lasts even through the hot weather and remains tender.

Vanilla Berry Nasturtium

Cup Of Sun Nasturtium

Profumo di Genova Basil

Peppers love the heat, I have Mariachi hot ones, Sweet Banana and Jalepeno

We all know that you don't plant cucumbers until it heats up!  This one is Fanfare and is super disease resistant.

Some of the more delicate perennials even like the heat like Blue Sunshine Geranium that weaves through the other plantings without overpowering them.

Rozanne Geranium on the right weaves throughout the garden with abandon.

Don't be afraid to trim Rozanne back to keep it within bounds.  Do not shear it to the ground or you may wait forever to get new blooms.

Orienpet Lily Altari

I thought the lilies would wilt in this extreme heat but no they stand tall.  However, the darker colors will fade out in the heat.  It is not the sun but the intense heat which causes this fading.

Orienpet Lily Boogie Woogie

The above two Orienpet Lilies are shorter than many of the others.  This is something to think about when planting lilies as many of the taller varieties require staking.

Orienpet Lily Lavon is one of my favorites but it does grow close to six feet tall.  So far, it is free standing without support.

After 100 degree heat yesterday we had severe thunderstorms today but the lilies came through it still standing.

Boxwoods do not require a lot of water but I did give them some extra today.  Many plants can take the heat but cannot be without water.

I am getting ready for the Fourth of July, making some pulled pork, going to the village parade and the wonderful craft fair.

My containers are pretty simple this year, cordyline, redhead coleus and silver falls dicondra.  Oh, the sparklers are dried Allium Schubertii.

Losing Track Of Time

We have a little bit of the Time Machine going on this year.  It was a favorite movie but I never thought that I would become part of the story.  We have only jumped into the machine and sped about three weeks ahead but it is still not a normal feeling to see everything in your garden out of sync.

Cinco de Mayo

Most of the roses are done with their first blast of color.  This one had a cane left that burst into multiple blooms.

The Japanese Beetles have been fooled for now, very few rose petals to feed on.  However, they are many new blossoms forming, can we outrun them?

Home Run rose seems unattractive to the Japanese Beetles, another plus for this shrub rose!

Sedum Vera Jameson is a June surprise, never blooms this early, but it certainly blends in beautifully with all of the summer flowers.

Black is acceptable in my garden in small doses, have to use bright colors with it like Phantom Petunia.

Dark Ruby Daylily

This is still a difficult daylily to use in the garden, much darker than when photographed.  It needs to be mixed with very light flowers, white, yellow, etc.

Eileen Clymer is an early daylily and is now blooming with Blue Paradise Phlox and Becky Shasta Daisy.

Echinacea Knee High Red and Mary Todd Daylilies

Mary Todd Daylily

This one is a winner from way back, can't be without it, but does need to be divided more often than some other daylilies (about every four years).

Allium Schubertii

This is a great bulb (like stars in the garden) but does not always come back, or if it does it is smaller.  So, at least for me it is one that probably should be planted each year.

The south border has been devoid of annuals this year with perennials taking up the front area totally.  The Heucherellas are very colorful and the Brunnera Jack Frost continues to stand out through the summer.

This is the other section of that south border, sun in the front shade in the back.  You can see how the fence baskets contain shade plants and the back of the border shade tolerant perennials.

Heliopsis Lorraine Sunshine grows along the south border.

Arnies Choice Daylily

Red Rum Daylily

This is a shorter daylily with a large flower and looks great in the front of the border in the south garden.

Lullaby Baby Daylily

This is another shorter daylily peeking out from Rozanne Geranium.

Ice Carnival Daylily

Chicago Weathermaster Daylily

Arnie's Choice

In the front garden border

Maua Loa

I planted this daylily last year, not too many scapes yet, and is just beginning to bloom in the front garden.

Arnie's Choice Daylily

In the front border with Lythrum Morden's Pink and Becky Shasta Daisy

Some of the lilies suffered from frostbite but I think they will look okay.

Height is a concern with some lilies.  These are free standing but I have some that require support and then some!

Orienpet Satisfaction

This is a free standing lily and the fragrance is intoxicating.

Starlight Hydrangea Let's Dance

I had expected blue like the three I had put on the other side of the walk, but these were pink, fertilizer didn't make any difference.  Now, I actually think I like the pink better than the blue.

Hopefully the roses will bloom again, more dayliles to come, wonder if all of the fall plants will bloom in August?