Blooming in the heat.

gentian21 gentian21@comcast.net
Sat, 30 Jun 2012 09:00:49 PDT


Crinum "Jumbo" has it's 5th spike in bloom,  Crocosmia "Lucifer" has never 
been better,  with blooms at eye level.  Alstromeria "Laura", "Freedom" and 
psittacina blooming .  The huge patch of psittacina was decimated in the 
center from drying out too much.  Epipactis thunbergii still blooming, 
Agapanthus "Blue Yonder" and Cyclamen purpurescens.  It always amazes me the 
Cyclamen purpurescens blooms during the hottest days of summer.
My daily highs this week have been 98-100F but nothing seems to be suffering 
(yet).  I think since the soil was already hot from previous heat waves 
everything shut down right away and didn't try to grow at night like the 
earlier heat waves.  No rain since the heat waves started and before that 
precipitation for the spring was at 50% of normal while the water company 
has almost tripled water rates in the last three years.  I only have 3 rain 
barrels but I save that mostly for the bog and gentians.  Everything has 
more sun this year because of it being in the 90's in March.  All the trees 
have produced smaller leaves and well as having more dead branches.  It has 
helped that I took 40 flats of sensitive seedlings and put them in the 
garage temporarily under lights, especially the Primrose and Gentians.

Frank Cooper,
Central Illinois,
zone 5b
Record high 109F, record low -25F 




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