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Normally I manage to get my back porch containers planted around July 4th. This year's extreme heat and lack of snow & rain moved everything up. So I have been watering a lot of little pots...I finally planted the left-overs from client jobs on July 8th (with the help of the marvelous friend An G.). I've been watering some of these plants since mid-May when we began annuals installations, so I was happy to get them into larger amounts of soil. That Little shrub in the corner (on top of the orange) is Gro-Low Sumac. It's one of my favorites because it is so tough in terms of light & soil conditions, but also because the leaves are glossy and reflect light nicely.
My favorite recycled element here are the two chartreuse Lollipops above...they are remainders from some kids favors on the 4th: bubble blowers. But I love how they amplify the little bit of light on our North-facing covered porch. I also stuck a chartreuse watering can in the yellow container that split in half during installation and I was too lazy to unscrew and remove.
Just outside the back steps, I was able to fill this great concrete planter. Two of these plants want full sun, which they won't get here, but at least they'll get more air and a pinch more light. This was taken the afternoon we planted. Of course, since then (5 days), the squirrel has dug it up 2 - 3 times...no rest for the wicked!
If you are a patriot, I hope you will be thinking of your part in the water system, lovingly depicted here by Nikki McClure.
I snapped this first image in front of a large rental property in downtown Evanston. It illustrates what I said in previous post about Serviceberries drying out so that even the fruit was a bust.
Below is a beautiful surprise from the heat and warmer, longer growing season. These poppies resurfaced after years...but this client waters her garden. We didn't know they were there when I placed the Canna (that she overwinters in Greenhouse), but it's a lovely combination.
Otherwise, it is due to reach 100 degrees by Thursday and there is no rain in sight. When you drive past the Lindens, the ground is littered in their yellow seeds....are they putting out more progeny in case they don't survive?
We planted these cacti in this pot about a month ago on a client's rooftop garden in Chicago. They love the high heat and lack of rain. Not me, and I am not even a farmer. This year, our average temperature for January to May was 48F. Not only did we not have snow (maybe a dusting twice), but we've hardly had any rain this spring. Now today, as we move into the official start of summer, we've had so many 90F days, I've lost track...the high 80s began when I arrived home from Guatemala (where it was cooler with unseasonably early rains) in March. Most people probably only notice that the turf grass is looking browned out like it usually does at the end of August. I've been aware of other fall-out: the Serviceberrys didn't have edible berries this year: they wizened before sweetening (even the birds weren't interested) and the leaves of certain parkway Maples are already grey from fungus.
Most plant material is dry and crunchy and I fear the trees that are diseased will be accelerated in their decline. This extremity of climate condition really brings home our dependence on water and the resulting problems when our normal conditions do not prevail. But I do not know what will wake up people to our part in the cycle.
Since I've been practicing tough love with no supplemental watering in my garden area for about the past four years, it is interesting to note what is tolerating these extremes and what is not. I'm surprised that the boxwood (which was exposed to light last summer when the parkway Bradford Pear was removed) is doing much better in the heat and dry.
What have you observed?
This image concludes the process begun on my post of June 8, 2012. Evanston is a fairly sophisticated community, but nothing brought out the crowds like this switch of old CTA train bridge to new. I heard people were out all night on their lawn chairs...
This is a follow-up to previous post...
