We returned from the daylily national convention a couple of weeks ago, and it’s been too hot in Oklahoma ever since. I think David Payne said yesterday that we’re at day 15 of consecutive days over 100°F. It was 104° again yesterday. We had a cold front come through last night with very little rain. It’s now down to 88°, but we’ll be back in the 100s in a couple of days.
We returned from the daylily national convention a couple of weeks ago, and it’s been too hot in Oklahoma ever since. I think David Payne said yesterday that we’re at day 15 of consecutive days over 100°F. It was 104° again yesterday. We had a cold front come through last night with very little rain. It’s now down to 88°, but we’ll be back in the 100s in a couple of days.
It hasn’t been this hot this long since 2011 when it was one hot and humid mamma jamma.
Last week, I spoke to the Tulsa Herb Society at their big summer meeting. If you live in the Tulsa area, you should join this very active and generous garden club. They don’t just grow herbs.
When I drove home on Tuesday, the temperature gauge in my car showed 112° the entire way. The reflective heat from the pavement was so hot that I could feel it through the car floor and my shoes. I put my feet on either side of the floorboard and hit cruise control. I’m a native Oklahoman and resilient, but that’s too hot.
The meeting, however, was tons of fun. Lots of people came, and it almost felt like 2019. Remember 2019?
While we were in Asheville, there were 100s in the forecast daily. I’m grateful I came home to a garden that was even alive after all this heat. We are still in the 100s this week and part of next. We were fortunate to have cloud cover several times last week. It kept the temperatures down a bit, and we got a tiny teacup amount of rain. I’ll take it.
Most of the daylilies are done. Only the late-blooming ones are in flower, along with those that rebloom. The foliage on the dormant varieties is starting to show severe stress. Dormant daylilies try to go back underground when it gets this hot.
If I’m honest, everything is showing stress, even me. If I could offer a few plants for hot-weather color, they would be:
- Hibiscus moscheutos, perennial or hardy hibiscus like
- Crapemyrtles. Unfortunately, in OKC, they now get crapemyrtle scale.
- Phlox paniculata, tall garden phlox
- Rudbeckia fulgida ‘Goldsturm,’ but only if you have a dry garden. It spreads too much when you water even with drip irrigation.
- Agastache ‘Blue Fortune’
- Verbena bonariensis
- African blue basil,not a perennial, but a real nectar machine.
- Pycnanthemum virginianum, common mountain mint. Just keep in mind it’s super aggressive.
- Ornamental grasses. They move in the slightest breeze and don’t mind the heat.
- ‘Rotkugel’ ornamental oregano which comes from Holland. i bought mine from High Country Gardens.
I wouldn’t plant anything right now, especially daylilies. However, my order from Blue Ridge Gardens came. After soaking their roots in the sink. I found some old plastic pots, potted them up, and put them in the shade. It wasn’t enough shade, so Bill and I installed a tarp two nights ago. We’re calling it the daylily nursery. I also have two ‘Lava Lamp’ hydrangeas in pots. I put them under the tarp today. Anything that needs a little shade is appreciative of that tarp; when I stand beneath it to water, it feels ten degrees cooler.
Have I mentioned the garden and I are stressed? We are. It’s just too hot. However, I’m surprised at what still looks good out there. I took a few photos and did a couple of videos on Instagram in the early morning when it was still bearable to walk around out there.
Meanwhile, the tomatoes have mostly quit producing. I’m hopeful that cooler temperatures in the forecast will spur them to bloom and set fruit again. I grow my tomatoes in cloth bags, but I also have drip irrigation on a timer on each pot. If you want to know how to install drip irrigation in pots, check out my book, the 20-30 Something Garden Guide. You can get it used for a great price these days.
One tomato still going strong is ‘Gary O’Sena.’ He is putting on beautiful, if smaller than usual, tomatoes. Also, the cherry tomato, ‘Black Strawberry‘ is still producing small beautiful tomatoes. Here, I used it in a fresh corn and tomato salad. The basil in the salad is ‘Everleaf Emerald Towers,’ and it doesn’t go to seed in the heat.
As for other garden chores, just wait until this heat diminishes. I’ll post in a few days about cutting back my lavender. It’s finished blooming and needed the trimmers. In about a month, we’ll be puttering and potting up again. Stay inside except for watering, and keep cool, my friends. Maybe eat some ice cream and peaches with a drizzle of honey?
Here’s one good thing about this terrible heat and drought. Weeds don’t grow very fast. Carol and I have a new podcast episode up. Also, if you want to ensure you don’t miss an episode, sign up for our weekly Notes from the Gardenangelists newsletter. Carol writes it, and it is funny.
