Heatwave headaches

So much for the temperature buffer provided by our marine layer.  A heatwave moved into the area mid-week.  While we haven't experienced the 100F-plus temperatures some inland areas have, we peaked at just under 95F (35C) yesterday, which is miserable enough to put a virtual stop to my garden activities.

I got in a few minor garden chores and my daily walk during the early morning hours before ducking inside to take advantage of air conditioning for the balance of the day

These guys are everywhere because they LOVE the heat.  I have to watch my feet to avoid stepping on them.

Earlier this week when temperatures were nominally cooler I made a bit more progress with the bed formerly choked by the large Ceanothus and overgrown clumps of Aeoniums.  I spent another ninety minutes or so pulling out bulbous roots of asparagus fern and added a soil amendment.  Then I replanted the bed using numerous Aeonium cuttings and other plants and called it job done (for now).

The top photo shows the bed with the spare number of plants I added, including Aeonium arboreum and A. haworthii 'Kiwi' cuttings and 3 recently purchased Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kiss' plants I couldn't resist

The space remains fairly bare.  I'm considering adding a few Agapanthus bulbs or possibly a couple of smaller ornamental grasses in the background but those tasks had best wait until fall when transplants have a better chance of settling in.  In the meantime, I relocated more of my Aeonium cuttings to the back border.

My intention is to plant the area here, formerly planted with Mexican feather grass (Nassella tenuissima), with Aeonium cuttings and possibly other succulents.  At the back of the border next to the dirt path used for maintenance purposes, it's relatively invisible but I need plants there to keep the soil in this slightly sloped area in place during the rainy season.

I also replanted a very sad pot on our back patio this week.  I thought it'd be a twenty-minute job but the existing plant material fought me on its removal.  However, it was still a simpler task than digging up asparagus fern roots.

Foxgloves (Digitalis purpurea) do NOT like summer conditions here.  I generally pull them out when summer arrives but many of mine got a late start and this one was still producing flower stalks even as the foliage was turning crispy.  When it also developed an aphid infestation, it had to go.

Coneflowers don't last long in my garden either but I love them and try to find a place for them every summer

The pot contains: Achillea 'Terracotta', Calibrachoa 'Mango', Pentas lanceolata 'Graffiti White', Echinacea 'Pow Wow', and E. 'Sombrero Lemon Yellow'

Other than those tasks, my gardening has been mostly limited to watering, with particular emphasis on the cutting garden.  I used to hate summer but growing dahlias and zinnias there has redeemed the season for me.  They stand up to the heat and bring me great satisfaction.

View of the cutting garden looking northeast.  The raised planter in the middle is the most bountiful at present as it was the first one I planted up with dahlias and zinnia seeds this year.

View of the same area looking northwest.  The raised planter in the foreground was the last one planted as it was previously occupied by sweet peas.  They didn't bloom bloom until mid-May this year and I didn't get around to pulling them until the third week of June.  I'd sprouted my dahlia tubers in temporary pots but their roots didn't get a chance to spread out until they took over this bed.

Dahlia 'Mikayla Miranda', featured in this week's "In a Vase on Monday," was the first dahlia to bloom this year.  Dahlia flower production is late because I don't leave any of my tubers in the ground.  I grow all of them in either the raised planters of my cutting garden or large containers where I can manage the water they require during the growing season.  As I use the same raised planters for cool season flowers, I can't leave them in place as they'd get in the way and/or rot due to receiving excess water during their dormant period.  I also pinch all the plants once they reach eight to twelve inches tall, which delays flowering at least three weeks.

The dahlias blooming this week include these:

Dahlia 'Labyrinth' grows tall but its petals seem more sensitive to extreme heat

Dahlia 'Creme de Cognac', another holdover from last year, is one of my favorites

Dahlia 'La Belle Epoque' is new for me this year.  I wasn't initially enamored with it but the yellow highlights it's just started to show have improved my view of it.

Our heatwave is expected to end today.  Wherever you are, I hope your weather conditions deliver a pleasant weekend.

All material © 2012-2025 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party