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End of June check-in -- how's your garden doing?
Stats: Zone 7b, direct sun from 7 am - 2 pm
Thriving: Million Bells (those baby petunias), geraniums
Surviving: nicotiana, pentas
Bit the dust: traditional petunias, nandinas, hostas
It's been nearly 100* every day for the past two weeks. It's ungodly humid here - I've never felt anything like this in NC or TN where I've lived previously. With this oppressive weather, I feel like this should be zone 9!
We landscaped when we first moved in about 2 months ago. The neighbors said it was gonna get hot, but I thought it'd be no big deal - nope.
My hostas were divisions from our last house that I brought along. They got as much sun at our last house in zone 7a, but they just couldn't take the heat and humidity here. I've dug them up to give to an aunt. I replaced them tonight with carpet roses. Four nandinas also croaked - hey, if a shrub needs water more than every 3rd day, it's not for me. I replaced them with indian hawthorns that I know can take heat and humidity.
What about you?
Re: End of June check-in -- how's your garden doing?
Stats - 7b, full direct sun noon - 8pm. (Yes that much sun on the front of my house!), Backyard - full sun - 6am - 1pm.
Thriving - Pentas, vinca, nictotina, geraniums and ... GARDENIA!!! (Wooo Hooo). The humidity made the difference. I did amend the soil around the plant and give it a acid fertilizer.
Surviving - Zinnia. The smaller variety is doing ok. The Come and Cut again is doing very well. I'm holding out hope that it won't get powdery mildew. Cosmos. The cosmos is doing "ok", not great, but not bad either.
Still hanging in there - Hydrangea. The hydrangea that gets more sun is getting a little crispy, so, I'm trying to baby it in hopes of it making it through the summer. The hydrangea that gets more shade (it sits tucked in a corner under the eaves of my house) is doing well.
Bit the dust - Verbena. It's supposed to be able to handle full sun, but I don't think the full frontal assault my house gets works for this plant. It looks a hot mess and a half. I won't plant it again. Petunias - they look leggy and a hot mess as well. This makes me insanely jealous because my neighbor across the street has glorious results with hers. The difference has to be that her yard is shaded in the afternoon, whereas, my house gets the brutal afternoon sun.
My square foot garden is doing well. No complaints with it at all. I've been harvesting tomatoes like crazy. Also my clemson spineless okra in containers are doing well too.
TarHeels - It's hot here too. We just spent 17 days above 94 degrees. I'm so glad to see 89 degrees, I don't know what to do!
What will I plant again - Pentas. This little plant needs no care. Once it's established, it's pretty drought tolerant. It has earned a spot next to Vinca and Lantana for me!
My veggies are doing well for the most part. I had an awesome strawberry crop. Raspberries were okay. Sugar snaps were plentiful. For some reason I can't grow beets for the life of me this year and I had a great crop last year.
Surprisingly my petunia baskets are doing very well and my lantana has finally taken off in the front. Oddly my alyssum grew on side of the front steps but not the other.
Come fall we are planting more bushes and doing more landscaping in the backyard since we now have a fence.
zone 7a, sun from 9am-3ish pm.
thriving: tomatoes, cucumbers, zuc, basil
surviving: swiss chard. something is eating it and most of what I grew from seed the birds snatched up to build their nests (the transplants were small). my ground cherries are starting to take off.
bit the dust: one of my dahlias. I don't know what the deal is there. Last year they were going crazy and this year they are slooooooowwww. also, garlic. it was their time, though.
Zone 7, full sun 10-4ish
Thriving: Potatoes (once I killed the hornworms), Hydrangea, Daylily, Coneflower, Rose bushes
Surviving: Citronella, Yarrow (it's getting way too leggy), Daisy (also too leggy but looks good)
Bit the dust: Moles ate my autumn joy sedum
, and 2 heuchera
~Life After Infertility~
7b here too.
Thriving: Geranium, Mandevilla, Petunias
Surviving: Pentas, Ivory Silk Lilac tree, Franklinia tree, Dwarf Redbud tree
Died: Black Tupelo tree
Most of the things that are struggling or dead are because they have recently endured severe root cutting, or are having trouble dealing with the full sun and intense heat (where there used to be full shade).
Stats: Zone 5a, all day direct sun in most areas
Thriving: Everything! Except the flat of annuals I never got planted
Bit the dust: The flat of annuals I didn't get to plant due to all the recent rain
I'm scared to go in my veggie garden. It will eat me alive. Everything's doing unbelievably well. The corn is chest height on me (i'm 6'!).
Our perennials are great. This year the nigra hollyhock bloomed and so did the irises (first time since they were transplanted 2 years ago). We even seem to have run the course on the sawflies on our mugo pine - we haven't had any yet this year (they usually appear in mid-June)!
food blog | garden blog | curly dogs blog
Zone 5a
Thriving: The violetas have taken off and are spreading. The day lilies are doing extremely well also.
Surviving: Hydrangeas. I bought them already in bloom and those blooms have died and a lot of the existing leaves look pathetic. Both plants were scorched one day and they went down hill from there. I do see some new growth on both plants so I am hoping they pick up again soon.
Zone 6b, direct sun from 6am - 7pm (back of the house) Not sure how much sun exposure is in the front
Deck: My tomatoes, eggplants, chili peppers, summer squash are doing great! First time growing miniature white cucumbers and they seem to be growing but not as much as my regular cucumbers did last year. Swiss chard is coming along. Sugar snap peas didn't grow too well. Bells of Ireland started from seed is doing great. Lots of flowers.
Front: Hardy hibiscus is thriving but the little green worms are trying to eat all the leaves, hydrangea is doing well...first year established after planting last summer. clematis took off this year. I still had some blooms just a few days ago. Wisteria is growing like crazy and had two blooms this year. My peonies did fabulous...had a ton of flowers. Cosmos are doing great along with the impatiens.
My zinnias aren't doing so hot. I think the leaves might be infected with some type of mildew. Verbena isn't doing so great either. The primroses are still hanging on.
Poppies never sprouted beyond the leaves and the freesia never grew from bulb after planting them in early spring.
DX: Premature ovarian failure
::::SAIFW::::: People call me a feminist whenever I express sentiments that differentiate me from a doormat or a prostitute. - Rebecca West
WE'VE BEEN MATCHED WITH A SWEET LITTLE BOY!! -4/5/11
Zone 5b direct sun...well pretty much all the time
thriving: vinca vine, hostas (in my shade garden), tomato plants, zucchini, green bean plants
surviving: my pepper plants, zinnias in the ground, all my herbs, hydrangeas are getting watered daily but not happy with all this heat and lack of rain.
bit the dust: cilantro was over before it started, zinnias in pots, impatiens around my hydrangea bush.
Our garden looks great, just feels crowded since the green beans will NOT stay in their squares! We have picked 2 zukes and a handful of tomatoes, grape, roma, and a couple of the heirlooms.
Gretchen Evie, born 7/8/2012 at 35w5d
Stats: Zone 5b, a lot of full sun but also some part sun/part shade
Thriving: My Square Foot Garden, hydrangeas, vinca vine, hostas, astilbe, coneflowers, liatris, geraniums in pots, black-eyed susans
Surviving: Million Bells, geraniums in the ground, violas in pots, flowering vinca, impatiens (barely surviving)
Bit the dust: violas in the ground, English daisiesStats: Zone 4, lots of shade
Thriving: 'Incrediball' Hydrangea does not only have huge, beautiful blooms but they are still standing tall after some of the most severe storms our area has ever had! My heuchera, autumn fern, toad lily, and turtlehead are all looking great right now.
Surviving: The 35 year old lilac we transplanted last fall bloomed this year but with much smaller blooms and a few dead branches.
Bit the dust: Some lamium I got from someone in my garden club. I used an ice cream bucket to transport it and then left it outside overnight when we got a big rainstorm. The next morning it was flooded. Whoops.