Texas heat

April, that was really sweet of you, a real labor of love.

Is it funny or sad or both that non-gardeners will insist on "sparing" us from what we really like to do? My mother will never this side of heaven understand that I really would rather have a garden than silky-smooth skin on my hands. It's WAY worth the trade! And I'd rather be out there sweating and filthy than out shopping.

Boy, Brigid, you struck a nerve there. I have a number of non-gardening friends and relatives who all think I'm nuts to "suffer" through the heat, humidity, bugs, dirt, etc. in order to have a garden. I have rather severe lupus and am not supposed to be out in the sun. I'm in the garden by 6:00 a.m. most morning so I can be back inside by 9:00. My doctors chewed me out last visit because I broke out in blisters from sun exposure. I tell them all that I've had to give up so much because of this disease and my gardening is where I draw the line! After all, if you have to give up everything that brings joy to you life, you may not live longer, it will just seem like it! I used to paint, but no longer have the fine motor control to do that very well and my garden is painting in the landscape. It keeps me sane. Happy gardening!

While I'm sure they have your 'best interests' in mind, I'm on your side 100%, crow. It's quality, and not quantity, that makes life. I'm photosensitive as well -- they thought I had lupus, but apparently I don't and I'm grateful for that. If I let it keep me indoors, I'd go insane and take them all with me. I'd rather laugh for five years than sit there and frown for ten.

I think gardening is theraputic as well as spiritual. Taking care of God's creation refreshes the soul, and gives a feeling of worhwhile accomplisment.
I would rather work in the garden than do a lot of other things, except maybe visiting another garden.
Josephine.

Isn't it the truth? I had a particularly horrible day last week, which I won't share the details of, and I got home and took the dog out back, and right there in my "nice" clothes I got on my knees and pulled weeds. Mother Nature is the best restorative. Those who don't believe it can kiss my aster.

Lots of my family don't understand and I seem hardpressed to be able to justiy to their satisfaction. What are my other options, clean the house?! AAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!

Crow....you said it~ Amen and amen!!

Brigid you really did open up a good discussion. ;) I agree with you all! Whole heartedly. I don't have fine smooth skin or neatly painted nails but I sure have a happy heart. Nothin' I'd rather do than be outside working in my gardens, piddling in the yard with dh, and in general enjoying God's creations. My skin is brown and freckled and sometimes my hair is a real mess! lol I went today and got a cute 'summer gardeners' haircut. Very short, very flippy, and easy to keep. Sort of wash and wear. Luckily when my hair is real short it's very easy to style.
My Mother is 84 yrs. old and we still garden together. ;)

Lin

Lin
Good for your mom! I keep telling folks that the more active they remain, the longer they will remain active.

That's my belief too. ;) My Mother is sort of like the energizer bunny. She just keeps going and going and going. lol She has many medical problems but refuses to give up her gardening. Her cardiologist tells her to just keep doing what she's been doing.
Lin

Mine too! At 78, I recently gave Mother the nickname of "Chainsaw Grammaw" as she loves to clear her property of cedar trees to make room for more beds! I told her I can see her dead on the ground under a tree that has fallen on her, the saw still running in her hands! She "poo-poos" it all!! :)

LOL Connie that's too funny!! Aren't they a determined little lot? LOL
My Mother isn't over 5' tall. I finally told her that I would do all the wheelbarrow hauling from now on. She doesn't need to be doing that. I'm trying to get all her garden beds to the point that all she has to do is plant, water, feed, and a little weeding. That is unless she wants me to put in yet ANOTHER garden bed for her. lol
Lin

crowelli, I can relate to the need to be outside in spite of the medical dangers. We have to follow our hearts. If I had to be inside all the time, I'd go mad! I HAVE to be out there as much as I can. I had a skin cancer a few years ago. Fortunately, it was Basal Cell Carcinoma and easily removed. Three different doctors told me not to worry about the sore on the side of my forehead, but I knew better. The dermatologist knew right away. I was told to stay out of the sun as much as humanly possible and to use sunblock, because it tends to happen again. But I can't stay inside all the time. I need to be out there. Not want, I NEED to be outside. This is a really screwed-up world, needless wars and people who hate each other. But in my yard, there is peace. Let it always stay that way.

I only glanced at this forum.
However it caught my attention.

I am 72...........
2/10/35

I do what I (Think I have to)
-
smill lol.

Tonite I went out and ran my tractor for hours.
Why?
I hav-no-idea.

Feels good though!
Should I wake before I die (child hood thing)
I feel blessed!

Whatever that means.......

Good for you Charlie!! Sometimes I just go out late evening and do some mowing. Push mowing. Just to tidy up. Doesn't really need it but I NEED it. lol

I'm like you Linda. I NEED to be outside. It starts my day off good and clears my head. ;)

Lin

Well it hit a high of 107 yesterday!!!! We have had about 7 days straight of over 100, with a couple more on the way. I gripe just like everyone else does about the heat in the summers here in TX, but I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I can excape the heat briefly but the cold is hard for me to handle. My body just shuts down in the cold. You couldn't pay me to live up north of AK or TN.
I am a NATIVE TEXAN, born in Atlanta TX in NE corner of our lovely State. I have lived from Amarillo to Houston, but love central TX best.
As for my yard, I hauled hoses last year til I was bitter, with no time to enjoy my flowers. I finally bit the bullet and had a sprinkler system put in last fall. It gives me hours more time to relax after work. I can actually enjoy my garden and the nature around it. I wish I had done it years ago.
I get up in the mornings and have to go out before work and check on my plants and fish pond. It just helps me make it through the day to be in the garden when the sun is coming up. When I come home in the evenings it is still mid 90s after dark; but I have to go see what bloomed, feed the squirrels, birds, and fish. It is refreshing just to get a nature boost, even if it is 105 in the shade.

You are sooo right Sheila!

And it's another scorcher out there today, but hey Sheila I'm with you . . . I can find plenty of ways to beat the heat. It's that frozen white stuff that hangs out for months at a time that I have a hard time dealing with. Of course it can be fun to play in for a few days. I guess it's like they say . . . nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there :D

I'd rather have a couple of weeks at 100+ than a couple of months at -32 for sure. At least I can find a river or lake if the A/C happens to go on the blink, but it's hard to build a fire out of frozen sticks if your heater breaks down . . . lol

I HATE getting up in the morning... but got up 20 min early this morning so I could hand water 6 new plantings so they wouldn't wither in the heat. Now THAT is saying something. *giggle

Another scorcher, sure enough GD. It is already 101 on my back patio and is suppose to be 110 later. My poor plants are feeling the heat and starting to show signs of agony. I water late every day and by that time 24 hours later, they are bone dry again! Even my sunflowers are wilting by 6-7 pm. That is really a bad sign when the sunflowers can't manage the heat! The only thing that seems to thrive in this misery is my lantana. The hotter it gets, the more it grows. Does anyone have a "true performer" that they would like to share with everyone? I am always looking for plant ideas that are durable enough to withstand this Texas sun. Have a terrific day!
Happy Gardening,
Belinda

Chocolate flower Berlandiera lyrata - I got mine from High Country Gardens and it just gets bigger every year (wider as in bigger bed area). Beautiful smell in the morning and LOADS of butterflies (must have seen over 50 this morning). Mine tends to be a bit more washed out and leggy than this pic from HCG but you can't beat the smell! Other than closing in the heat of the afternoon and looking a bit dead even though it isn't this is a GREAT plant.

Howdy Belinda . . . indeed it is!

Well, like you say . . . most everything is drink'n double just to stay semi green. Aside from my Aloe Vera and a few other cactus/succulent types and a couple of palms . . . I've got a few types of Lavender and Sages and a Butterfly Bush or two that don't seem to be fairing too bad with only a single watering per day. My Gold Star Esperanzas and Mexican Bird of Paradise are both doing fine and bloom'n plenty, but of course they're both natives. Other than that, my Purple Fountain Grass is just now starting to come on and look good. However, the list is a lot longer of the things that seem to want more than one drink a day . . . lol

wow... except for hand watering my 6 new plants (that will turn into about 20 new plants after I plant this weekend) I haven't watered most stuff since the last rain (and I didn't do the watering then God did! *giggle) except I watered a few things sat. If I had to water everything daily I wouldn't ever get to work.

Shelia, I'm glad to hear you're enjoying your garden more and that you're pleased with your sprinkler system. Like you, I've just given up dragging the hose around and had one installed a few weeks ago. I don't think I've got it worked out quite right yet as I watered Monday and Tuesday mornings and then Tuesday afternoon we had a flood. My poor begonias are getting root rot from overwater, but my grass and roses look REALLY good! I have 11 different zones, but now think maybe I needed a couple more so I could put the begonia and agapanthus beds on a separate one. They really don't like wet feet.

I have started mulching the flower pots and putting a saucer under them, at it has helped a lot, the plants were going yellow, from all the nutrients being leached out.
They look nice and green now.

You're welcome in here ANYtime, Lilypon. :-)

It's 94 in the shade on my front porch right now. It will be another really hot day today.

I do not have a sprinkler system- yet. But I'm sure thinking about it. I don't know anything about them as far as how they are put in and all. Those of you with the sprinkler system tell me how you keep your roses from getting their foliage real wet or any other plants that don't like wet feet. I have several things that don't need a lot of water. My gardens are very spread out all over the yard. Just having the system in the basic part of the front and back yard would be a great help.
I water some things every single day. I get up at 5 am and have my coffee and listen to the news. Then I take my coffee outside and I stay out there for a good while. It's not too bad at that time of the morning.
Lin

Lilypon, that was just cruel. ;p I like snow. I like heat in the summer as well, I just wish summer didn't last from March until October!

Thanks Marylyn. :)

LOLOLOL I'm sorry brigidlily. ;) We have some Texans that come up here to escape your months of unending oppressive heat (they also leave mighty quick when our forecast is for a surprise visit from old man winter (sometimes in early Sept......but we haven't seen that for awhile).

Dancy, as to the sprinkler systems how's and why's, I would say the number one thing to do is make sure whoever you have install it knows what they're doing and preferably it's their full time business, not a sideline. I have a friend who just had one installed improperly. The company finally came out and had to redo the whole system and it still won't work. On mine, I had the entire front, back and side yard done and I have a ton of beds and am on a large corner lot. They put in 11 different zones with a total of 87 sprinkler heads. Some of the heads are the rotating kind and are used primarily in the lawn areas. They pop up out of the ground when in use and stay level with the ground when off so the lawnmower doesn't damage them. Some of my beds have popups that don't rotate, but the angle of the spray can be adjusted so water isn't wasted. The whole system also has a sensor so that if it's just rained, it recognizes this and doesn't come on that day. (It's not smart enough to know it's going to rain later in the day.) You can set a different number of minutes for watering for each zone as desired. I run the rotating ones that are primarily lawn for 30 minutes every other day. I run most of the beds for 10 to 15 minutes every other day. You can set it to run every day or even/odd days, specific days of the week, etc. My automatically starts with zone 1 at 4:00 am and when the time for that zone finishes, it starts zone 2. It doesn't do all at once because you might have a water pressure problem with the zone furtherest from the water supply line. It's pretty flexible. The only problem I've had at all was my own fault. Everything has been so hot and dry I ran the system on all zones two days in a row and then we had heavy rain later the same afternoon. My begonias aren't happy. I really like having it so when we travel, we don't come home to a dead landscape. I hope this helps you some. Where is Midway, close to Dallas/Fort Worth?

Crow that really did help me get the idea of exactly how they work. I know when I decide to have this done I will have to get the professionals out of Bryan, Tx. to do it for me. They are well known and have been in business for many years. I also know it won't come cheap! lol We live in the country and have a huge yard that is completely covered with St. Augustine grass lawn. And of course the gardens. We have our own water well. And having a water well may mean I can only use x number of sprinkler heads a day. We could figure that all out though. I'm sure it would actually be easier on our well in the long run because the sprinklers could be time set. Dh and I have talked about this and we know that as the years trickle by and we get 'older' (lol) we won't be able to maintain everything like we do now. And too, we need to do this while dh is still working. He plans to retire in about 4 years. I am already retired!
If you drew a line running north to south straight down I-45 you would have the small town of Madisonville about halfway between Dallas and Houston. Midway is about 10/11 miles east of Madisonville on Hwy 21. And we live off a farm to market road out in the sticks. lol
Lin

I'm glad it helped. One more thing, since you mentioned you were on a water well. I am actually using less water with the system than I was before when I was hooking the old rotating sprinkler to the hose and dragging it around. With the system installed, you don't have overlapping areas like you do by moving the hose around, and also no left out dry spots where the grass turns brown.

One thing I started using for all of my pots is the MG with MC. I still have to water everyday in this heat for most things but when I water in the morning at 5am things are not dead and dried out by the time I get home at 7pm. Some things can actually go every other day.

ok girls....i have come out of lurk mode to tell you that it is hot here too.....i so love this texas forum....and it is cause of yall.....everytime i have a question.....well, you are the first to answer....to heck with the rest of daves.....i will just stay here at THE forum....the texas one......in the mean time i will have to keep an eye here cause yall are some of my favorite.....lets keep on keepin on....we still got lots of summer left....as for me....100plus today and i got 20 flats of plants...my nursery closed and said come and get um....so now i will spend the rest of the week trying to repot, groom, fertilize all the new ones.....wahhhhh(grin)

as for the sun, i work for clinique....and i have my first day back with them in several months....they detest suntans as it is not good for your skin.....WELL , mine is very tan as i am in my yard EVERY minute of everyday.....i dread hearing what they will say...eeeeeeeeeee....guess i will need to replenish my sunscreen while i am at work.....in the mean time i will have to just stay out in my yard....waaaaaahhhhhhhh(grin)....gotta luv it ...it is therapy for me too!!!!!

hey dancey...don't think you have gone back to the thread where we were talking about abelias...and sutherlands...if you know of anyone coming here (by lubbock) anytime soon i can pick up some abelias for you....lmk:)

crow i so agree with you about a sprinkler system....much more efficient...and we dug ours ourselves....so we saved alot of mulah

Howdy Lilypon and welcome abord . . . Oh and please pass the ice tea this way after you fill your glass ;)

I'm not sure where Moose Jaw, SK is . . . but I'm guess'n it's somewhere up in beautiful Canada eh? :) If so, I had no idea it got that warm up there unless you built a big ol' fire. And humid too? Wow! Guess ya learn something everyday ;)

Actually I do enjoy the snow . . . as long as I've got a ski lift and pair of skis on ;) I've always said . . . That's the most fun you can have with that many clothes on :D lol

But like I said (and yeah I'm a wimp when it comes to things that aren't suppose to be blue turn'n blue) it's a nice place to visit, but I wouldn't wanna live there. No offense to ya'll nuts that do of course, cuz there's just not enough room in the river down here at Christmas time to fit everyone ;)

Lilypon
I would give anything to be able to escape the summers here. Lived in Ontario for several years but gee why do I have the feeling that your winters are much colder than those I experienced? I did spend several days way up on James Bay, in the summer and recall being cold and wearing sweatshirts that whole time- of course that might have been to keep the black flies away!