Re: heat

In a message dated 9/1/00 12:20:22 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
nlowe@hotmail.com writes:

<< To those other folks in similar climates:  what has done well for you that 
I 
 should try >>

Nancy,

We are certainly not in a similar climate though we experienced three years 
of extreme summer dought.  The fams were declared a disaster area.  This, the 
fourth year, has brought us non-stop rain.

During those dry years, it seemed as though they would never stop, you begin 
to try plants that will live through dry periods.  Many plants cut off to the 
ground early in the season went dormant and reappeared the following spring.  
Don't always assume they are dead.  

I don't know the winter hardiness of plants in your zone however in general 
some that can live through anything (maybe not always look good - but live) 
are bearded irises, stachys (some species have great flowers), nepeta 
yunnenensis and siberica, rue,  all poppies, all ornamental euphorbias.

We watched shrubs wilt to the ground and lost none of them.  We cut some back 
to have less leaf surface but that may not have been necessary.  

If the borders are depressing, scatter about some containers of annuals that 
you can keep watered .  Also look into plants classified as "alpine" or those 
while not actually alpine are used by rock gardeners.  Most of these plants 
require a dry surface.  A postively unkillable one is diathus deltoides.  
This is a dianthus for the south, Bath's Pink, maybe.

I do not envy you that temperature.  Watching the weather maps this summer, I 
have felt great sympathy for the south and west with those high readings.  I 
do not like to garden in intense heat.

Others on this list can probably contribute some more perennials to keep in 
the border for dry years.

Claire Peplowski
East Nassau, NY z3

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