What thrived and what died this summer

This summer posed a number of challenges for plants in my garden.  Winter rainfall was low for the second year in a row, leaving us dry even before summer began.  Water restrictions tightened and although I've restricted use of our automated irrigation system to two days a week since 2015, I pulled back further on supplemental hand-watering this year in response to California's worsening drought.  Heatwaves were fewer in number and generally less severe than usual but the most recent one, during which we hit a peak temperature of 106F (41C), hung on for ten days, which was unusual.  Midway through that event, our water provider informed us that we were subject to a 15-day outdoor watering ban due to pipeline repairs.  I stored water for emergency use and scrambled to deep soak what plants I could before the ban took effect.  An unusual tropical rainstorm, spinning off a hurricane in the Pacific, helped significantly by dropping six-tenths of an inch of rain.  So despite my apprehensions concerning the double whammy of a heatwave and a watering ban, the garden came through the experience relatively well (even if the gardener ran herself ragged toting a watering can to and fro). 

I'll start with the plants that showed no discernible ill effects due to the stresses summer posed.

If anything, Acacia cognata 'Cousin Itt' responded positively to the heat.  I've had to cut it back in some areas because it's impeding on paths.

Agonis flexuosa 'Nana' has once again grown so big that it'll require severe pruning later this year

I cut all the Barleria obtusa (aka bush violet) back nearly to the ground after the shrubs bloomed late last year.  They look homely for about a month afterwards, then slowly flesh out.  The plants self-seed freely and I think I should use them more extensively in problem areas.

Three more plants that have shown stamina are: Echium handiense, Helianthemum 'The Bride', and Santolina virens.  I propagated the Echium from cuttings and they're doing well in all 4 locations I planted them.  The 2 Helianthemum, planted in early June, can't be considered well established but they handled summer conditions well anyway.  I've grown Santolina before and don't know why I don't have more of it now.

The self-seeded Polygala fruticosa (aka sweet pea shrub), sometimes sold as P. myrtifolia, has self-seeded freely.  While the seedlings are easy to pull, they're literally everywhere and Cal-IPC has the plant on its watch list.  That said, they exhibited no sign of stress when it was hotter and drier than usual.  If I can manage to keep them contained, they'll make good fillers in problem areas.

Yucca 'Bright Star' responded to the hot, dry conditions by putting up a bloom spike (left).  In addition, a second pup has appeared a couple of feet from the first one sited alongside the stump of one of the original plants.

I was surprised to see foliage of 4 bulbs pop up.  They're Hymenocallis x festalis 'Zwanenberg' (aka Peruvian daffodils), which I hadn't even remembered I'd planted last March.

 

I didn't even try to take photos of everything that came through summer in good shape - that'd require more space than even my longest Bloom Day posts.  But here's a general list of plants by genus that deserve mention:

• Abelia grandiflora - 'Edward Goucher', 'Kaleidoscope', and 'Hopley's Variegated'
• Callistemon - 'Cane's Hybrid' flowered; C. 'Hot Pink', and C. viridiflorus did not
• Cistus - all but the newest additions flowered as usual
• Felicia aethiopica
• Grevillea - all varieties too numerous to name held up, although the flower production of the larger-flowered varieties was impacted by the heat
  
• Hebe - 'Grace Kelly', 'Purple Shamrock' and 'Wiri Blush' did well but flowered only lightly or not at all
• Leucadendron - all varieties, too numerous to name
• Leucospermum - 'Brandi', 'Goldie', 'Hybrid Spider' and 'Sunrise' finished flowering prior to summer's arrival but foliage was unaffected by summer's heat
  
• Lomandra - 'Breeze', 'Platinum Beauty' and 'Tropic Belle'
• Pennisetum - 'Fireworks', 'Rubrum' and 'Sky Rocket'
• Phormium - 'Atropurpureum', 'Apricot Queen', 'Maori Queen' and 'Yellow Wave'
• Tulbaghia violacea
• Xylosma congestum
• Most succulents
• All trees, including citrus
  

 

This isn't to suggest that all plants weathered the summer stress well.  There were losses.  It's possible that some plants that look awful right now may come back but I'm not expecting that of all of them.

Aloe 'Moonglow' (left) is twisted and looks miserable but I've seen that in other aloes at the height of summer.  The Aloe maculata x striata to the right of 'Moonglow' in the first photo and Aloe vanbalenii x striata in the photo on the right are examples of other aloes that fared well.

Unfortunately, Anemone hupehensis (now classified as Eriocapitella hupehensis) often looks like this when hit by extreme heat.  This plant's been here since we moved in 10+ years ago.  It'll survive but it's doubtful I'll see any flowers this year.

The Arctotis 'Large Marge' on the left and A. 'Pink Sugar' on the right are probably dead; however, there are other specimens elsewhere that, while looking pitiful, still have life left in them.  This has also happened in prior years - some survive and some don't.

I'm not sure what happened to the Centaurea 'Silver Feather' on the left as it was a more well-established cutting than the one on the right.  The one on the left came up without even a tug.  The 2 plants were within a few feet of one another.

These 2 Coleonema pulchellum 'Sunset Gold' shrubs were also planted within a few feet of one another on either side of the flagstone path that bisects the back garden.  Another of these plants up and died late last summer just like the plant shown on the left here.  I'm not sure it can be blamed on the heat but it's possible that minor differences in the water they received was a factor.  There's some evidence of new growth underneath the shrub on the left so I may try cutting it back rather than just pulling it out.

Erigeron glaucus 'Wayne Roderick' (aka seaside daisy and beach aster) is supposed to be drought tolerant and well-suited to coastal sites but it's not been happy in full sun in my garden.  Our recent heatwave just made it look all the more miserable.  It's moved itself around a bit, perhaps seeking more shade, which is something San Marcos Growers suggests.  I'll try moving divisions of the plant to a more hospitable location.

Summer's heat prematurely turned the leaves of the Ginkgo biloba brown but that happened last year too.  A neighbor's specimen, older and partially shaded by surrounding trees, stays green much longer.  However, as our tree leafed out this past spring with no apparent issues, I'm assuming that it'll do the same next spring.

My roses look worse than ever.  I believe that insufficient water is a bigger issue than the heat.  I'm considering pulling up at least some of them in this area as they've looked worse and worse with each passing year.  Rosa 'Pink Meidiland', in a different area of the front garden, has fared much better and those plants will stay.

Sisyrinchium 'Devon Skies' may want more water than some sellers suggest.  There's a tiny amount of green underneath the brown foliage so I may give it time  to consider if it wants to live.  Note that the Lisianthus (Eustoma grandiflorum) surrounding the blue-eyed grass are already coming back after their earlier summer flush. 

Sideritis cypria (left) looks haggard and didn't bloom at all this year but I think it'll come back.  Westringia fruticosa 'Morning Light' (right) looked burned in spots following the last heatwave but I'm counting on it to improve as temperatures decline.

 

These beds next to the garage in the front garden look horrible.  While many plants (Pacific Iris, hellebores, and Arctotis among them) are hanging on, nothing other than Lomandra 'Platinum Beauty', Lavandula stoechas, and Pittosporum (all outside the frame of these 2 photos) look really good.  The daylilies in this area didn't even bother to bloom this year while Polygala seedlings are popping up all over.  Insufficient water and root competition from the trees and hedge shrubs may be part of the problem but I'm unsure what'll work here.  I'm considering adding topsoil to create berms in selected areas and adding succulents and rocks in others.

 

Any loss is disappointing but the failures provide useful information.  Will I heed the lessons learned this summer?  That's never certain.  I've already pulled up some of the smaller ephemeral plants I'd planted in late spring and early summer to fill empty spots.  In the case of plants that have at least a chance of coming back, I'm holding off until cooler temperatures prevail before taking any action.  At present, another heatwave is geared up for this weekend and it's expected to run through early next week.

Meanwhile, another problem has emerged, or I should say reemerged.  No, I'm not referring to the water leak issue I wrote about in my last post.  The raccoons are back and their endless search for grubs is becoming a nearly nightly effort.

I found a track of 10 raccoon footprints running across the outdoor rug on the back patio the day after they first pillaged the raised planters in my cutting garden (after I'd hand-watered them of course).  They were back for another session 2 days later.

That's it for me this week.  Best wishes for a pleasant weekend, whatever your weather.

P.S. High Country Gardens is running its semi-annual photo contest and my brother is one of the finalists.  Way to go, Eric!  You can find the finalists' photos here.

All material © 2012-2022 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party