Staying cool

I'll be staying cool this week in the Pacific Northwest. The heat will no doubt still be entrenched when I return.

When the temps start climbing above 90, it's time to pull out every weapon in your water-retention arsenal.
First, if you planted with well drained soil and organic amendments, you gave your plant the very best survival armor it could get. Weather conditions like these separate the strong from the weak. And some plants need babying. I am putting every potted plant I have, in or on the edge of, the shade. Other things you can do to help your potted plants include adding large saucers and make sure those are full, as well as watering the plant well first thing in the morning.

For inground plants, give them a good drink at least every other day. If you were smart enough to install a drip system, run it in the morning.  Add some extra mulch on the surface, particularly if yours has gotten thin over the summer. Plants also use their leaves for transpiration, and with high heat, can really use a misting. Consider doing this in the late daytime hours, between 6-and 8 pm.

I'm getting help to ensure my plants stay healthy while I am away, and these tips should help you with yours as well. I know it's hard to believe, but we will be planting pansies before you know it!

Butchart Gardens Bound,
Lyn

Correction! True Identity revealed...

Yesterday I had a call from my favorite grower at Blossom and Bloom on Birmingham Hwy in Alpharetta. It appears my inquiry about the unusual flower made its way to him through other plant friends...Turns out, what I earlier THOUGHT was a Toad Lily, is instead a Blackberry Lily.

Of course, it came from his nursery, so it was a snap for Reagan to identify my plant! This variety was hybridized, the name is x Pardancanda, its nickname; Lollipop (love it!) So, fellow horticulture fans, the mystery is solved. For more information on this flowering perennial, which is really easy to grow, check out the link.

http://www.goodnessgrows.com/id8.html

Reagan is working on his own version called Hello Yellow and he says mine is a reverted specimen of his cross with Lollipop. Beautiful mistake!


Here's to the unusual that makes our everyday lives special,

Lyn

P.S. If you have never been to this nursery, you are missing some of the best perennials, annuals and herbs in the area. Obviously you will find things here, you won't see at Pikes or Home Depot! Here's the mapquest link:
http://maps.google.com/maps/place?um=1&ie=UTF-8&q=blossom+and+bloom+alpharetta&fb=1&gl=us&hq=blossom+and+bloom&hnear=Alpharetta,+GA&cid=13938087119255095717

Odd sightings in the garden..

I think this is a cicada. It appears to be mating with a wingless relative? 

There are some 3,000 species of Cicadas, some emerging in the dog days of summer. I'd say that's right about now...

Taking advantage of the rain and cooler temps to do a little easy weeding,

Lyn

New Exhibits at Atlanta Botanical Garden

A recent visit to see the new exhibits of edible gardens and the revived Storza Woods, oldest stand of hardwoods in the metro Atlanta area. Get a peek here, but definitely plan a trip to see it for yourselves!

http://picasaweb.google.com/wintercohen/AtlBotGardenJuly2010#slideshow/5492706177938820130


It's cooler in the woods!
Lyn