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.
Hi Dee, I live in between Edmond and Guthrie and I recently ordered some lilies that I thought I would be receiving in the fall for planting, but no they arrived last week. I’m not sure what to do with them because it is definitely too hot to plant them in the ground as I had hoped to do. In reading through your blog it looks like I may need to follow your lead and put them in pots in the shade. When do you plan to move your lilies from the pots to be planted in the ground. I really enjoy listening to you and Carol on the podcasts! Thanks, for sharing your knowledge with us.
Hi Decah, Bill and I were in Europe, so I didn’t see your post until today. We got back last night. Yes, I hope you put them in pots in the shade and watered them. I’m assuming they sent you daylilies and not true lilies because usually lily bulbs (true lilies) are sent in October. Don’t plant your daylilies in the ground until September when it cools off a little. They will rot. ~~Dee
Thanks, Dee. I did get them in pots and they seem to be doing ok
Dee, so sorry you are dealing with the extreme heat. But even so you provide hope and insights for the rest of us. Hope it ends soon for you. My this year’s garden in NE GA Mtns has not been the best. Can’t say it’s because of intense heat but lots of humidity and cloudiness. Most things blooming late. Some okay, some marginal. Looking forward to cooler days, June
Hi June, I only write this blog to give people hope. It’s hard to grow in both of our climates. I hope you get a beautiful fall. I’ve been to Georgia in the fall, and it’s as lovely as Oklahoma. 🙂 ~~Dee
We’re miserable here, too. 50+ days over 100. My deck looks like your tarp. Every potted plant moved under the shade. The irony, of course, is that the garden looks so bad i desperately want to plant, fill holes, and fix it!
Hi Diana, I saw yesterday that you’re now visiting Indiana, which is usually lovely this time of year. We will both cool off in the fall. I’m going to work in my garden in the morning and try to enjoy the cooler air while it lasts. Thanks for stopping by.~~Dee
My garden is so sad this year..nothing is really looking great except a few hostas in the shade. I am so looking forward to fall but so thankful that we got a little rain and a break from the heat. Those peaches and ice cream look so good!
Hi Sonia, I heard we got some rain! Exciting! I had several things to do this morning. We just got back last night from Amsterdam, and the garden looks a little better than when I left. I need to work on the paths something awful. Here’s to a cooler fall.~~Dee
So much goodness in this post, even with the heat!
Thank you Carol!~~Dee
I don’t irrigate. My maidenhair goes dormant in summer. Once the rain comes it has turned lush and green again/
Hi Diana, if I didn’t irrigate it would all die. That’s why I use drip irrigation. I live in a harsh summer and winter climate. ~~Dee
I’d love to know where to get that corn salad recipe. And before my Oregon vacation I set up a soaker hose in my big veg bed and my little yellow pear tomatoes are splitting. Apparently too much water. How often should I water that bed? Derek decided daily which is obviously not working. It’s raised, 7’x9’ and about 3’ deep. Thanks for sharing all your fun adventures.
Jennie, I would water that border 3-5 times a week with drip irrigation or a soaker hose. Yes, pear tomatoes are bad about splitting. Here’s the corn salad. I didn’t put the mozzarella in it because we already had protein at dinner, and sometimes the cheese gets mushy if you store it again. https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/fresh-corn-tomato-salad-recipe-2103476
Dee: Well the unrelenting heat here in SE Oklahoma has been so frustrating that I sometimes feel like giving up. But thankfully your post restores my gardening hopes. The gardening youtubers in less hostile environments,( posts I usually enjoy) are just irritating now. I must work on being gracious. I’m interested in your comment about day lilies. Do they survive the dormancy if not watered?
Hi Richard, thanks for stopping by. I had to laugh at your comment about being irritated with YouTubers who live in happier climes. Yeah, I quit watching all of them years ago. As for your dormant daylilies, I would water them occasionally, maybe once a week, to make sure they survive this dreadful summer. However, it’s been my experience that they may disappear for a year or two and bounce back later. Still, I would water them occasionally. I hope you are getting rain this weekend. I’m getting a teensy bit, but the cloudy skies make me grateful anyway. ~~Dee
Thanks much, Dee. I’ll adjust my water timer accordingly. I also decided to pluck some tomatoes before they were completely ripe and before they split. We have cut cheese and oils out of our diet since Derek’s bypass surgery so I found the following corn salad recipe and it looks really good too. https://eatplant-based.com/its-beginning-to-look-a-lot-like-christmas-around-here-2/#mv-creation-141-jtr
Oh dear, I can’t imagine that much heat for so long. We usually have stretches of 90s each summer, but 100s are few and far between. I’m glad your garden is doing OK. Take care of yourself, too!
Hello Beth, it’s been a bummer this summer. I’m doing fine. I am going to England soon which will help. I’m sorry I missed the fling. We can talk about it later. Hugs! ~~ Dee