The Aftermath of the Heat Wave

Crunch, crunch, crunch..

I had been away from the Red House Garden for 10 days during a record-setting heat wave.  The crunching noise was me walking across the very brown lawn from my car to the front door.  Oh, dear... what was the garden going to look like?

Blooms of 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' Rose - lightly toasted

Well, it ain't pretty.  Even though our cat-sitter had watered some of the garden (I frantically e-mailed her from Canada when I heard what the forecast was going to be), the garden looked pretty worse for wear.

The voles already ate a rose bush out of this corner and stressed out the camellias.  I think the heat has now finished them off.

I am saddest about my new little native Sparkleberry tree that I had planted a couple months ago.  It is supposed to be drought tolerant, but I'm sure the new transplant wasn't meant to got through this heat without water!  I don't know if it will recover.

Believe it or not, this little twig with leaves is actually a five-year-old tree.  Sparkleberries are very slow-growing..  

Ah, but not every plant withered under the heat.  My back yard was actually extremely green and lush looking when I came home....

thanks to CRABGRASS!

Ahh, we crabgrass love the sun and heat!

All of the crabgrass apparently threw huge parties in the 105 degree weather and spread like only weeds can throughout most of my mulched area.

Seriously, are there no other plants other than WEEDS that can take this summer heat?

Over here!  Over here!

Thank you, Cosmos Sulphureus, for standing up to the heat!  (Ah, I see you are invasive in certain areas.  Well that explains it..)

Actually all my Coreopsis, Black-eyed Susans, Salvias, and Milkweeds sailed through the heat without batting an eyelash as well (yay!), all being tough, drought-resistant native plants.  Other blooms I owe to the person who watered parts of my garden while I was gone.

Do you see the bee in the middle of this Hibiscus moscheutos 'Luna Pink Swirl'?

Thankfully, though, all I have lost is a few ornamental plants.  My thoughts are with the farmers, for whom this heat affects their livelihood.

How is everyone's else's garden looking?