Surviving The Heat

One thing about the desert is that it is never the same. One summer will be mild but extremely dry. Others are scorching and we get rain. One thing is for sure: we cannot depend on past seasons to predict the coming. Yes, climate change is real. And here at the edge of the desert the weather is going haywire. 

My Thai Basil (Ocimum basilicum var. thysiflora) and French Lavender (Lavandula dentata) are growing like weeds. 

We hit some record highs in July, including a couple of weeks of 117 degrees F or higher. And we never really cooled off. We did finally get our summer monsoon -  we haven't had significant rainfall during the summer for several years. But the heat made the rain almost pointless. My plants would get a good soaking rain, then the heat would spike again and the new tender growth would scorch. 

Underneath the wisteria is a wasteland. My Variegated Mock Orange (Pittosporum tobira "variegata") and my Columbines (Aquilegia sp.) are dead and the Periwinkle (Vinca minor) and Star Jasmine (Trachelospermum jasminoides) are barely clinging to life. They are doing a bit better since I started my nighttime waterings. 

September is probably the most frustrating month when it comes to gardening here. The nights are in the 70s, but it is still hitting the high 90s and low 100s during the day. I want so badly to go out and pamper my poor plants, but it is still too soon. If  I prune off the dead leaves and branches, it will just expose the new growth to the scorching sun. I cannot fertilize because ditto with the new growth. 

The opposite corner from the wisteria is also suffering. My gorgeous Glossy Abelia (Abelia x grandiflora) is dead. There is a shoot from my Trumpet Vine (Campsis radicans) behind it. I'm going to let it take over the corner. 

I have been sneaking out after sunset and putting some extra water on my plants. And I talk to them. I promise them that I will be out soon to take care of them. Just PLEASE hang on until then. Autumn is almost here.