Thrivers

Lest my last post seem too depressing, I should also note that there were some plants who positively loved the heat wave, and seem to have doubled or tripled in size in the two weeks I was away.

Our front, the rose hedge went through another flush of flowering. I spent two hours out there Friday deadheading, producing five buckets of trimmings. And we're getting close to time for summer pruning, too, which should add even more to the growing pile of rose bits in the compost.

In front of the roses, Calandrinia spectabilis is out of control. Of course, I didn't know when I saw it at the botanical garden two years ago that the plant there was only about a year old. A vigourous grower, this little guy. And the flowers! They're like orchids. Drought tolerant, like many succulents, and a real heat lover. And there I was feeling moderately guilty for planting it in our maritime climate.

The strawberry corn came through the heat with shining colours, too, and has set up some ears for future bird snacks. I've always considered myself a corn idiot, having killed it a few times in vegetable gardens (apparently it wants to be watered, go figure) so I'm quite happy with how it has thrived.

Other good news from the week: the Salvia clevelandii 'Pozo Blue' is returning from the dead. To come back like this after a severe stomping and the subsequent heat wave says very good things about this plant.

Likewise, the Salvia clevelandii (generic) out front is doing quite well. This started out as a teeny little sprig in a four-inch pot this spring. (As you can see, I am fond of Salvia clevelandii.)

And finally, some good news from the driveway garden: of the four little plants in pots, two seem to have survived. The Silene asterias merely wanted an evening to recuperate from the drought and heat, and everybody else was just fine in the first place. (Apart from a mild case of powdery mildew on the sweet peas). Not bad for 24 hours.

Technorati Tags: gardening, heat, plants

posted by ayse on 07/29/06