Friday, August 3, 2012

Olympic Games in the southern garden..........


It really is a horticultural nightmare trying to keep the garden looking good here in Summer..............that's why I've not done a garden post for several weeks.
This Summer has been another killer with daytime temperatures hovering around 100 degrees, and not much cooling at night. However, the 2012 Garden Olympics are well underway now.........let the games begin!

We are watering the shrubs and plants sporadically with hoses, and we've had a few really good heavy rainfalls from massive thunderstorms making their Summer visits.... usually late afternoon, evening, or best of all during the night ready for the next day's events.

Today I was out early morning with the hose as there hasn't been rain for several days. I was surprised to notice how the palest blue morning glories were now past the finial on the birdhouse, and clambering up not far behind was the clematis - now in its second bloom of the year - are they having their own Olympic race?



The Knockout Roses, following a heavy pruning back last month, are now re-blooming and pole vaulting into the sky.
The bright chartreuse plant on the wall, trying its best to twine through the iron bench, is a potato vine, slow to get going this year but now racing to the finish line knowing all too well its days are over with the first frost. 

 I always have high expectations for the Angel Trumpets.......this yellow one, cut almost to the ground and mulched heavily to survive Winter, seems to grow back taller each Summer. Knowing it had to enter the garden Olympics, now in the second week, it seems to be blooming earlier this year and is putting on a good show. As it is the lone contender I think it gets the Gold Medal just for effort, don't you agree?

 A first for me when looking out the window early today, was seeing a hummingbird busily flitting from trumpet to trumpet........sorry no time to grab a camera, you have to take my word for it.

The last event just lush enough to share from the struggling August garden..........the kitchen window box.  At the starting line in June prior to my gallivanting off to Africa, the little plants looked puny but my kind neighbors kept them going with daily watering.  On my return a few weeks ago the box had filled in somewhat, only lost the purple heliotrope, and then with a nice pre-Olympic meal of fertilizer, the plants gave their all, racing to catch up in the relay.

How are things in your garden? Are you winning the race against the drought conditions in much of the country (USA), or are you stuck in the mud in a wetter land?
What about the real Olympics? Are you watching/following the events..........will you view the closing ceremony?

12 comments:

  1. We are having the peculiar summer weather for which the Island is known - not hot, but very dry after a wet June. The trees are stressed, and we were just talking about a watering plan for them.
    That's the strange thing about this island - rain and more rain for the fall, winter and spring, and then drought in the summer.

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  2. what a glorious garden Mary...so pretty...happy weekend... xv

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  3. Haven't watched as much Olympics as I wish I had time to watch. Love your Olympics here in the garden. We have not had the heat you have had and the garden is flourishing. I think I need to take some pictures. Tried to grow morning glories, but they just don't seem to like growing here. We do have clematis and roses. We took the trumpet vine out, but it has decided to come back. Maybe this time we will get blossoms. I just love the colors of the garden in summer.

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  4. Your garden is so beautiful Mary. As you know we really don't have a garden here, but my container veggies are growing well. We are not in a drought stage in this part of NC. We are only 1 inch below normal. It rains here almost every afternoon.
    Hugs,
    Penny

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  5. Pondside has done an excellent job of summarizing the weather around here. But with water, my garden is flourishing. The lawns, however, we pretty much let go, like most people. We know that we can enjoy the green the rest of the year.

    We're watching snippets of the Olympics. It was great to see Michael Phelps win another gold last night.

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  6. Your gardens a looking lovely considering you've been away earlier on. I am not watching the Olympics as they don't have tv here. But then I'm being entertained by the grand kids. :) Our new grandson is just beautiful too. Enjoy the weekend. Pamela

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  7. Oh Mary...what a beautiful garden...also you are such an amazing photographer!!

    Blessings,
    Gert

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  8. Your garden is absolutely glorious! I love everything about it!

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  9. Beautiful blooms, Mary. Your trumpet plant is gorgeous. My angel trumpet was covered in white trumpets this spring, but I decided to give it to the an who helps me from time to time. They are very toxic for dogs. Didn't want to take a chance of our sweet Sadie ingesting anything from the plant.

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  10. Your yard is gorgeous! As for the Olympics, I watched some, but have been so busy here with life that there isn't much free time to sit in front of the TV.

    Enjoy our summer!

    Becky

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  11. My garden is a disaster this year. Too, too hot and dry. The faucets on both the north and south sides of my house are broken, too. I give up until next year.

    Even though I love your travel writings, I love it even better when you are writing from home sweet home.

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  12. Your garden did beautiful Mary! I wish I could say the same for mine, oh well, try, try again!
    Ulrike

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