Forecast is for 10-14 days of hot humid and poor air quality days.
Do you do anything to help your garden survive?
How do you cope? On a scale from 1 to 10 I'm about a 3. I just want to find a rock to crawl under until it passes.
C'mon, share/vent.
Judy
I have to water just about every day when it's this hot. My soil is so rocky and uphill and everything dries out so fast in this heat. Including me. LOL
This weather is crazy, I can't stand the humidity.
Our hose hook up is broken in the back of the house so I have to haul water to my gardens in the back from the front of the house, by the time I'm finished I'm sweating like a pig. Good thing the majority of stuff is in the front, but still.....
Kids and I played with the hose today after giving our dog a bath.
Hot enough for you? Oh my goddd...I'll have to get more clustered bellflowers next year at this rate. I just can't keep them watered! If I have a moment tonight I should just dig up any live ones- again- and try a new spot. I am trying to water but wow.
My squashes planted on last falls leaf bin are looking happy, it really holds moisture.
I haven't been to mom's house for a few days so her patio plants must be crispy. Well, that'll show those deer.
We really MUST break down and buy some new Sears hoses, ya know with the lifetime warranty, people say they just take the leaky ends back in and get a new hose.
And last night's balmy temps were just fine for tramping around the yard with nightie and flashlight, desperately seeking car keys........Calgon, take me away!
Sally, don't give up on the bellfowers even if they look dead. Some years mine will die back to nothing when it's real hot and dry and then pop back up when it gets cooler with more rain. But if they don't make it, I have plenty.
I spent most of the day digging yesterday. I was in the shade and would work for a while, go in and cool off for a while.
I looked at the long range forecast yesterday. It's supposed to be cooler, in the low 80s, next Tuesday and Wednesday.
Speaking of hoses, I left mine on last nite, just turned off at the water wand right where I'd need to begin watering tonite. When I got home at 5, the hose had doubled in size and I didn't buy it at sears! Hate to think what my water bill would be if it had burst.
Came home from Baltimore last night around 8 30. There must have been a near microburst/ small tornado near here. My shortcut betwen Quarterfield Road and New Cut Road goes throguh about a mile of suburban neighborhood. I counted eight large tree breaks or downed trees in front yards. I don't remember when I've seen so much leaves and debris on the road besides those trees. Once away from the neighborhood it was not so bad; it was a specific zone, or path.
Wow, good no houses received damage
Glad you are okay Sally.
A lot of suburban housing developements don't do well in saving already existing trees and many are damaged in the grading building process which eventually kills or weakens the trees. The trees that developers plant to give their developments "appeal" are often poor choices/poorly planted.
Can't tell yuu the number of times while delivering my paper route even side and u-turn to do the odd side and a limb or whole tree of the "Bradford Pears" planted 15-20 years ago in front of every house at the street has fallen, especially during any wind or rain. Luckily, I have not been on the wrong side of the street when that has happened and most of the trees have been removed in the last two years.
Sally, the 5 oclock news has several reports of wind and storm damage up your way. Not much wind to speak of down here. Only a couple of downed branches on my route today.
How is every one doing out there?
I hear Mountain Road had severe damage. I sounds like an west to east narrow path of destruction.
Um...lol, I'm actually enjoying the heat. It really hasn't been too humid and well there's a bit of breeze so it's been pretty nice. I watered my plants on the deck this morning.
I hit the nursery with my mom to spend my bonus bucks and get some 50% off stuff, I'll go out later and water that stuff really good. I ran the sprinkler last week in the woodland for about an hour, but a walk through this am and stuff still looks pretty good considering the lack of rain.
I don't know maybe it was the 10 days I spent in the West Indies last summer lol, but now, it really doesn't seem so bad. Then again, I love all the seasons including blizzards lol! I'm weird what can I say!
ldy_
You're not so awfully weird- cuz if you are then I'd be too. It hasn't been as humid as a midsummer heat wave, seems to me. Or I spend enoguh time in the overchilled library that I need to warm up.
Heat like this is good for making evenings on the deck. Two times Addy took off like a rocket into the far corner of the yard. She must have seen a rabbit in the total dark! We had the porch light off.
I think we're going to go find a good viweing spot tonight for the full moon rise. Its free!!
My poor garden!! Had the bad storms on Thursday here in Philly suburbs (heavy furniture blown across deck, trees broken/ branches snapped, roof leaking, pots blown around, debris flying everywhere; no power, water, phone for 28 hours), got everything cleaned up, planted some new flowers in deck boxes yesterday, rearrange all the furniture etc. and then today we were at the Philadelphia Union soccer game in Chester, about an hour away. Came home to this:
And the flower bed - and deck boxes (the upside down ones), some of these are cornflowers and cosmos that over over 3ft tall.
Hoping in the daylight tomorrow everything can be saved, but didn't get in until 11pm and had this mess to deal with.
Thankfully my veggies all seem to be ok and my (rather badly built!) bamboo veggie garden has survived.... There wasn't even a single drop of rain in Chester or until we were about 5 mins from home, things started to get a bit ominous when we got near our house (kind of countryside) and there were branches and leaves all over the roads, but we thought maybe it had been a little stormy and all the loose bits from Thursday had been blown about. Totally wasn't expecting this - storms not even forecast!!
All our flowers were grown from seed - dug out the flowerbed this year along the deck and just sprinkled seed mixes hoping for a wild garden look, which was looking really good.....
wow, what a shame! It sounds just like what we had last week which was officially a microburst.
Wow, crazy how only certain spots got hit.
gmun, that's how I wanted to do my garden with the bamboo, did you use the traditional lashing twine?
Oh, my goodness! We had an advisory for that storm on Thursday, supposed to have hail the size of quarters and winds up to 60 mph. We didn't get any of it, luckily. It went north of us instead. I would have liked a little of the rain minus the wind and hail, though, but didn't get any of that either.
According to the radio, it was 102 in Frederick MD yesterday. That would be Critterland. Hope you weren't too miserable, Critter. I'm not sure what the temperatures were here because I was busy with Mom and never saw a thermometer but I'd guess it was 100 or close to it.
Flowerjen, I just used jute/ hemp string I got in JoAnns and lashed the bamboo together using lashing I learned in the Girl Guides/ Scouts! It's not precision engineering, but it seems to be holding pretty well! Must admit I have added a couple of pieces of duck tape to keep the "roof" bit up because of the weight of the hanging baskets!!
The weather has been so lovely the last couple of days, but we are forecast to hit 99 Sunday and Monday - ugh!!
Yup, gotta get out and water again this am to be ready for more heat.
56*F here this AM, but going to 92 Sunday. Sounds like a sweaty picnic and they have no pool :( Ric
Gonna be 100*-102* all week here in Baltimore.....How much more punishment can we all take?
Last week was such a nice respite from the heat! Spoiled me anyways.....
Tomorrow--i will be, again, for 2-3 hrs in the outside garden at HD watering everything under the blazing sun.....
Get in at 7AM--so I may be done by about 1oAM or 11AM---depending who else is working there from the bell Nursery people.....It's questionable---as it was a long Holiday weekend....
I have a great tan--but that is about the only positive thing....
Today--I ran the sprinklers all over my yard all day--literally.....Glad our water here in Baltimore County is super cheap.
Sprinkling at each "station-location"....counting in my mind......there are about 7 "stations" I run the sprinkler at each for at least half an hour. Lots of water!!!!.....Lots of turning on and off of the hoses (2)....
Pooped! Gonna hit the sack soon! 5AM will come soon enough.
Gita
96*F Sunday and 94*F yesterday on the front porch," the shady side of the house". Having to add an inch or 2 of well water to the pool daily is a good thing, it does not feel as much like a bath. We spend an hour or 2 in the morning and evening just watering everything, in this heat a leaky nozzle feels good. LOL Ric
We're getting a pool!!! We're gettting a pool!!!!
I can't wait!!!!!
Fantastic!!!!!!
I'm really struggling to keep the new plants alive in this heat and even some of the established plants. It's 95 right now on the front porch, which is in deep shade. I'm sure it's over 100 in the sun.
I'm having to water for hours every day and many things are still wilted again by the next morning. We really, really, really need some rain ASAP. I have a sprinkler on a tripod so luckily I can do very large areas at a time. Even the weeds are shriveling up and dying.
My cousin in Richmond said it was 105 there yesterday afternoon.
This message was edited Jul 6, 2010 2:40 PM
There is water restriction in the next county and a voluntary one in the county southeast of us.
It is currently 103°
It hit 100 in D.C. today but I was inside getting a nice refridgeration chill. But I came home to weeping coneflowers and roses that were letting go of petals just trying to stay hydrated. So I had to water things again--been doing the backyard one night and the front yard the next.
We had a storm of sorts here last week, too, and I had to go round picking up branches and large twigs and leaves all over. No real damage. It's funny what happened to one of my cherry trees though. All of its leaves are tattered. Don't know what bug got it. The other cherry (North Star tart/pie) was untouched. I'm looking for the culprit.
Our deck gets sun most of the day and today our thermometer (dial type) was right up and beyond the max which is 115 . Car read 104 when I got in it at 7pm - had to blow a/c on the metal gearstick before I could go anywhere!! Amazingly most of my plants seem to be doing ok - thirsty, of course but holding up at the moment. Cannot believe how HOT it feels!!
I have a friend visiting from Scotland and she brought a jacket because I said there were storms last week. Haven't really stopped laughing at her since she can't really stay outside for more than 10 mins at a time in the heat, and def doesn't need a jacket! Tomorrow we are spending the afternoon at a friend's pool... so excited!!
Weeping coneflowers--I know just what you mean. Thye are weeping at mom's rehab place and I just groan everytime I walk by, and sigh because I can't rescue them all with a gallon or two in a jug. I guess they know what they're doing (the coneflowers) and they will survive long term.
My Cleome leaves were completely wilted and hanging absolutely limp the other night, but with water they rebounded. Those are tough! It reminded me that wilt is a strategy, not just a scream for water!
Flowerjen, good for you and the kids!! Send us some pictures.
Gita, I have two water outlets. each one having a 4 spicket converter. I have hoses connected to each outlet and I can just turn the hoses on and off from the source. Of course 2 of the hoses are for hand watering (roses and pots). It still takes forever!!
I start watering the yard at 6AM and do whatever needs to be done. Pull one weed here one weed there, and forget the rest until we get temperatures bellow 80 degrees at 6 AM. Then I water again in the evening, that takes more time since I only water the ground in order to avoid mildews....The lilies seem to like the weather .... Picture included
Fox, you haven't seen any tent caterpillar tents on trees anywhere around you, have you? It's pretty late for them but they can defoliate a cherry tree in no time, usually eating the new growth first. And cherry trees seem to be their meal of choice around here.
But this time of year it's more likely Japanese beetles. You can get Sevin in a sprayer to attach to your hose, which will reach all the branches and take care of the beetles if that's what it is.
Around here at least, these are pretty much the only bugs that bother cherry trees.
It's kind of halfway cloudy/breezy alternating with sun right now, like it wants to rain. But they're still not calling for even a chance of rain here until Friday so I guess the weather's just messing with me. LOL
Jen, a pool sounds pretty darned heavenly. So happy for you.
I wonder if the beetles are going especially for our tender garden stuff that we pamper, cuz everything else being so pitifully dry.
Hart, this year we only saw one tent, which my DH promptly burned out. Saw a few Japanese Beetles but nothing horrible yet. Most of us in the neighborhood do something every year to kill the grubs and I think that this might be helping. My weeping cherry trees and Kwansan Cherry trees are doing well, even though a deer took all the bark off one side when he was rubbing his antlers against it.
WOOHOO Jen, You won't regret the pool. Our has been great it is surprising how refreshing a pool really is. I can go out and weed and then throw myself in the pool for a few minutes and head back out in the garden again. Just now friends are pulling up out front they came with tacos and we will all hang by the pool. Jules was here just an hour ago she came after work for an hour or so. Let us know how the pool is going. Holly
I went out to get in the pool at 11pm. It was still 86*F out, got in the pool and felt nothing but wet, it must be 86* also. LOL Ric
I think I'll add a little well water.
With this heat, my soaker hoses can't even keep up! And then there's all the areas not covered with soakers and all my pots! I think the pots are the worst to stay on top of with watering when it's this hot! I moved many of them temporarily into the shade trying to help them conserve water! I have a shady area about ten feet lower than my sunny area so it has its own microclimate - about a 5 to 10 degree difference --- if only the house were down there!
I first read your last line to say "I think I'll add a little water," Ric. So I was picturing you standing in an empty pool. LOL How are you feeling? Is the dizziness any better?
I'm afraid that exhausts my experience with cherry tree eating bugs, Roses. I saw very few tent caterpillars this year too and have only seen two Japanese beetles. I think that's because I finally started spraying the yard for ticks and fleas a couple of years ago and what I'm using also kills grubs in the ground. I don't like spraying all those chemicals but I don't want Lyme disease either and since I'm allergic to tick bites, I was sick of having huge, itchy welts all summer.
Most of my neighborhood is fields or woods so me putting down milky spore wouldn't do much, I think.
Weather forecast is finally calling for some thunderstorms tomorrow and Saturday. I hope they don't pass us by like the last forecast storms did. Supposed to be cooler - highs of 90, 81, 90 - the next three days too.
