Joan Ambu

Is it just me or does it feel like Summer keeps dragging on? We are experiencing severe drought conditions, brush fires, and heat waves. Rather than gardening this Summer, I have been busy protecting and keeping the plants alive from the scorching weather.

Early in the year I received a few cuttings of  Sedum Spurium (Tricolor, Coccineum, and Dragon’s Blood). I thought they would look good in a container, so I planted them in a cement Conch Shell Planter.

The Madame Galen Trumpet Vines started blooming last week and they are so beautiful.
It is a hybrid trumpet creeper between the American trumpet vine and the Chinese trumpet vine. I am not sure if I picked the right location for the plant, but so far, so good. If you are looking for a fast growing, drought and frost tolerant climber, consider getting this plant. The plant is said to be invasive in some zones.

The Texas Sage ‘Green Cloud’ are blooming for the third time this year.
I found out an interesting fact about Texas Sage not too long ago. It appears that blooms are triggered by a change in humidity, and/or moisture in the soil after the rain (hence the name ‘barometer bush’). It hasn’t rained at all here in the High Desert since Spring, but it sprinkled a little yesterday and today the plant started blooming.

For the first time in many years, extreme and persistent heat is taking a toll on a few of my drought tolerant shrubs; increasing the watering and schedule time has made little to no difference. These scorching heat waves are becoming more and more exhausting, and we are looking forward to Fall and to cooler days ahead.

Happy gardening!