Flowers and Weather: Number 9 in a Garden Photo Series
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Are The Hot, Dry Dog Days Of Summer Over Now That Spring's Gone?
As usual, the weather’s changing. Here's a confusing question for confused weather:
Are the hot, dry dog days of summer over now that spring is gone?!
Just now, when we expected hot weather to be setting in, some rain is bringing a cool down from this past spring’s incredible heat.
100-year records were set for this time of year, and I really am not sure whether there will be any flowers left in my yard for blooming this summer.
Nurseries will be glad to provide new plants for gardeners sharing this situation, once we decide what to do to make up for the lack of color.
Thankfully, here in the south, there will be lots of choices no matter what the weather decides to do!
Growing, Growing, Growing!
I am still expecting my white Rose of Sharon’s blooms, and my white crepe myrtles, though blooming, are going about it in a slow fashion, meaning they should last a while. Mums are still budding and they won’t wait until fall.
My friend tells me good news on that note. When mums bloom this early the plants can be cut back with expectation that they will bloom again in the fall. She's usually right so I'll give it a try.
We are getting some fast growth on two sugar maples that I hope will double in size soon, but ivy that I want to get rid of is laughing it’s way into every nook and cranny it can find. What little grass I have in the front yard is crispy right now and I expect it will need some tender care and patching through the rest of this year.
Southern Weather
Southerners sometimes refer to the term weather as if it is unusual to have it. “Looks like we are going to have some weather tonight.” or “Be careful out there, looks like some weather is moving in.” This terminology reminds me of the reply to, “Oh no, another birthday.” What’s the alternative to no more birthdays...or no more weather?
A funny weather quote goes something like this: "Weather forecasting is right too often for us to ignore it, yet wrong too often for us to depend on it." Here’s to weather watching after this hot spring! It could be more interesting than what we’ve already seen...but don’t be alarmed, the weather’s always changing.
So, enough rambling. I’m finishing up my spring garden photo series with this variety of flowers that have held on to their blooms in the sustained heat they’ve had to endure this year. Simple captions are included with the pictures to give you a bit of info in case a particular flower catches your eye and you want to further investigate it. I’m just hoping to find something to practice my photography on this summer!
A Look At The Garden Photo Series
• Number 7 -- Platycodons are a funny name for the Balloon Flower!
• Number 5 -- Peonies for unparalleled beauty and fragrance.
• Number 1 -- Oak Leaf Hydrangea is a stunning old-fashioned plant.
Turn Up Your Volume To Enjoy This Breezy Garden Video :)
Gardening Hubs For You:
- A Patriotic Planter Project For Your Garden
With patriotic blooms in mind, think ahead about the color of the planter you will use...Robertatalloni - Grow Lavender in Acid or Clay Soil
With a bit of thought, you can still grow lavender in clay or acidic soil. - Trellis Fence Panels
- Fun with Fall Leaves
Over 10 fun ways to use autumn leaves in your home & garden this fall.
Bouquets Everywhere!
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Hand Blown - Hand Painted Green Glass Vase Porcelain Paste Flowers & Gold Trim
Current Bid: $20.00
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LOT OF 6 (7.75" TALL) METAL SILVER-TONED FLOWER VASES WITH 3-D ROSE DESIGN
Current Bid: $9.99
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An Expert Look At Hydrangea:
Garden Stones @ Amazon:
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 | Amazon Price: $5.83 List Price: $17.95 |
 | Amazon Price: $19.99 List Price: $31.68 |
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A Look At This Japanese Garden In The USA:
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What Are Your Summer Gardening Plans?Loading...
you've some nice blooms, i'm a keen gardener and enjoy looking at other peoples gardens.
thanks
tony
Striking photos, especially that one of the clematis mops. I'm always so sorry to see the showy flowers go that I never really paid attention to those mops except as reminders of what they used to be. But they do truly have a fascinating form of their own, which I probably would never have thought about if not for your photo. Up and beautiful!
Thank you, Delores Monet!
I was afraid to do much feeding of my plants in the extreme heat that came on so suddenly this spring, but I think I'll be able to finish some of the garden reworking I started and get the plants in better shape by the end of fall (along with all my other projects). My hydrangea plants were already quite large so I did not have to wait to crawl under them with my camera. :)
Thanks for the tip on the mums. Maybe I'll try one plant with the method my friend suggests and one with your method to see which works best in our area. It's just amazing to see how fast everything has grown so early this year.
Appreciate your visit and input very much.
tonymeade60:
Thanks much for stopping in. It's always a compliment to hear from other gardeners. :)
Sally's Trove:
Thanks kindly--I'm so glad you enjoyed the "mops." As I was photographing them I thought that they looked like storybook people in an ethereal community among all of the branches and leaves, and that I should write a story about them...maybe one day! :)
So appreciate your visit and input.
Just loving these blooms as usual. Stunning!
Thanks much Chatkath! So glad you enjoyed them. :) Happy 4th to you!
Love all your photos. I recently planted some Lavender and so far I haven't killed it. It's in a sunny spot with good drainage. Not sure if the soils quite right yet,but it is slowly growing. I want to try growing the Blue Hydrangeas they are so beautiful. Nice Hub!
Lavender is a slow growing plant so it sounds like you might be doing fine by your plant. Getting the drainage right is a major factor to success.
Hope you are enjoying hydrangea next spring. :)
Thanks much for stopping in with your in put!
I recognize so many of the plants you have in your photos, (and your weather references), I wonder if we live in the same part of the country (Midwest).
We bought a number of Rose of Sharon trees and planted them along our backyard fence. I really like them. And we have a HUGE hosta behind our garage that my husband keeps telling me he will split out.
I've enjoyed seeing your photography, keep the pictures coming.
voted up and beautiful
I love gardening and flower is my favorite. I am glad reading this hub. Nice hub from you. Thanks for share with us. Rated up!
Prasetio
Hi Danette Watt:
Although I like the Midwest very much, I live in the Southeast.
Do you have "old" plants on your property--plants that a grandmother may have started generations ago?
You will love your Rose of Sharon more and more in the coming years. They are a neat plant that matures quickly. I'm getting ready to rework an area near my favorite Rose of Sharon plant and I hope to do a hub on it. You might like to keep an eye out for it by the end of summer because your stand of Rose of Sharon might "enjoy" some of the plants I'll be using. :)
It's good that your husband is going to help you with splitting the hosta. When they get large, dividing them is not a job I can do alone!
Prasetio:
Thanks to you for visiting and commenting! I'm glad you enjoyed reading it.
Oh!!!! I meant to tell everyone I communicated with on HubPages today Happy 4th of July! I see you are not in the USA but I hope you have a nice weekend and that one day you can come here on the 4th of July and celebrate with us! :)
Beautiful photos. What part of the s.e. are you in?
I love your 'rambling' thoughts. Enjoyed.
Thanks kindly Denise. We're in the Carolinas now, after spending all my life in Florida, although our hearts are now in Alaska and Washington. :) So glad you enjoyed this rambly hub. :)
Hope you and yours have a really nice 4th!
I can relate-my body is in NC; my family in MI and my heart and spirit in CA. :) You're not alone.
I'm not sure we'll ever move--it's gets about as cold as I can live with here, but I'm thinking about more traveling now...maybe I should find out more about making $ here on HP. :)
Happy 4th of July!
The double tiger lilies are gorgeous. Liked the effects of getting those hydrangea pics from underneath! Had never heard of a mosquito plant. Enjoyed this as always! Thanks!
Thanks kindly. It was altogether a fun "photo shoot." :)
Mosquito plant is very much like the citronella plant, particularly in its ability to repel pesky bugs. Wish I could share part of my crop of it with you--it's prolific!
Beautiful flowers again. It is a shame we have uncooperative weather. I have stopped trying to grow some flowers that just don't thrive under this heat and too much sun, but fortunately there are other nice choices. I have enjoyed your series.
Thank you Pamela99. Florida just isn't for some of these mountain flowers, is it? However, with the extreme heat we've had, I'm thinking of Florida plants for the summer. The wide variety of coleus will be a big help to me this summer/fall.
I love your beautiful, colorful and cheerful flower photos, RTalloni! This is a very enjoyable hub. Voted beautiful.
Thanks kindly for stopping by with your input. Appreciate your visit!
Really enjoyed your colorful flower photos. I have plenty of lillies and dianthus myself. I love hydrangeas but oh, they just don't grow for me.
So glad this brought you that pleasure!
Thanks bunches for visiting and commenting!
So lovely. I can't thank you enough for doing this lovely hub. Mmmmmm. And rated up!
Thank you kindly! So glad you enjoyed it. :)
I really enjoyed your gorgeous pictures. I am an "avid" Gardener, and have many gardens on 5 acres! Thank you for the info. on the bulbs, because this is my first year to try them! My Tulips are just now coming up!
Hibiscus Lynn:
It would be neat to see photos of your gardens here on HP! Happy gardening in the coming spring!
Thanks for taking a look at this hub's garden photos.
Dolores Monet Level 7 Commenter 11 months ago
Hi, RT - beautiful pix. I love hydrangeas though mine are a bit pathetic. I know that I don't feed them enough. Oh, and the mums...don't let them flower early as it takes so much strength to flower. Pinch them back so they won't bloom until fall. If they do flower early, the heat just ruins the flower.