Amanda - your Rattlesnake Master seeds will germinate best after 60 days of cold, moist stratification. Try leaving the seeds you are currently trying to germinate outside over the coming winter. I always keep starter pots around for at least a second year and am rewarded with many positive results.
What's a good Heat Beater native in your garden?
Thanks, yes. I keep waiting. :)
It's August and temps have been inthe 100 degree range or top of the 90s for most of the summer. My four best performers (zone8a) have been common sunflower / helianthus annus (birds and bees love it), prairie verbena (verbena bipinnatifida), indigo spires salvia, and salvia farinacea 'Cedar Hill'. These are all blooming well in spite of the heat.
We finally got some rain and temps have cooled down some.
Natives right now all seem to be yellow composites.
1 Chocolate flower berlandiera lyrata - takes very hot dry conditions
2 Perky Sue, hymenoxys spp., I like the grass-like foliage
3 Prairie Zinnia grandiflora - another plain for hot & dry, I wish I had more of it
4 Mexican Hat, Ratibida, spreads too easy & has too much pollen - I yank a lot of it out
5 Last but not least, our native Fetid Marigold: Dyssodia papposa. It has 10 times the Marigold stink but with tiny nearly petal-less blossoms. I let it go because if anything will repel pests in the garden, this smell is it - except for a tiny native butterfly that it is the host plant.
Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers' is going strong right now. I'd have to say we haven't had nearly the heat we usually do though. Tall garden phlox, Glandularia canadensis (purple, white) and the last blooms of the Joe Pye are doing well.
Same here, Cville. We usually get our 90+ degree stuff now. For the past week, the weather has been pretty mild.
I would have to say almost everything is doing OK this year. In past years, Coreopsis tripteris has been a big winner in hot weather.