Too many of my container plants look like this one. The heat of the last week has been too much for them, despite my morning and evening watering routine. I'm embarassed even to post a photo of the pot of nasturtiums that was so pretty a month ago; it has long since given up the ghost. The geraniums are happy, though. So are the flowering maple trees and the angel trumpets. Anything in a small pot is toast.This heatwave is supposed to break tonight with a *cold front* moving through from the west. Forecasts for tomorrow promise highs in the upper 80's, rather than the 100 degree temps we've had since Tuesday. Hopefully the humidity will go down; the heat index the last few days was between 110 and 115 degrees! Entirely too hot for the likes of me. I feel like I'm living in a cave, with the shades drawn and all the windows closed to keep the heat out. I've even been working in the near dark at my job - we've had all non-essential lights and appliances off for the last few days in an effort to conserve energy. Ridiculous considering that the AC keeps the building so cold that I have to sit at my desk with a blanket over my shoulders. Today I decided to do a little energy conserving of my own and took the afternoon off and came home and went to sleep, in hopes of gettiing rid of the headache I've had for the last 3 days.
The promised thunderstorms haven't come yet. While I was out watering this evening and adding some frigid well water to the pond (the fish haven't boiled yet - what were we thinking putting that pond in full sun?) there were some distant rumblings of thunder and a light hot breeze, but that's it so far. I'm hoping for a spectacular thunderstorm with drenching rain. I want to be able to turn off the AC, open the windows, and fall asleep listening to the katydids and crickets.
9 comments:
Fear not, dear Laura!
It is raining spectacularly here, and it is headed east...I put in a word with good ol' Mother Nature and asked her to send it to New Jersey.
It's been horrid here in VA too. 103 today, yesterday Morgan and I went to the pool - and didn't stay long air temp 102 and water temp 93. Ugghhh. I too worried about my pond. Even the hose water isn't very cool, but I figure it's cooler than the pond and the extra aeration of adding water can't hurt. The poor things don't even want to eat.
It's supposed to cool down to 95 tomorrow with a chance of T-Storms, and *really* cool off to 90 on Sat. HA!
My container plants look so sad too. I had those hanging bags of impatients on either side of my mailbox that were so full and beautiful a couple of weeks ago - but with this heat I just gave up, and they are so very sad. We don't have a water spicket out front and dragging the hose 'round the house and out to the road in this heat is more than I am up for.
Hope your headache goes away. I had one yesterday after the whole pool thing that would have killed an elephant. I don't suffer migraines, but holy cow if they are anything like that.... I can't imagine suffering that kind of pain for several days in a row.
Thanks, Susan. Still just rumbling out there.
Michelle: The pond is like bath water! We have a well that we use for watering the garden and I'll use that to *top off* the pond when it's really hot - honest it's like ice water! I worry about the high iron content in the well water - probably not good for something or other.
I love those hanging planters - they've become really popular here in the last year or two - don't have any shade to grow impatiens, though. I hear ya on dragging a hose around - what a pain!
I scared a little baby bunny out from beneath the geraniums tonight when I was watering them - what a cutie - especially once he was soaking wet from the hose!
We had a very brief thunderstorm in downtown DC. It was a downpour, but it only lasted a few minutes, so I am not sure that it helped much.
I had a headache too for a few days.
I know about the heat. Goodness, what a summer.
We are still recovering.
I noticed my first katydid Wednesday night. Can the first frost be far behind?
We got some rain last night but it didn't really cool the earth- this morning although the temperature is lower the world around us is steaming - I am waiting for that cold front to arrive.
The katydid chorus is in full swing here - tomatoes are ripe, sunflowers and goldenrod in bloom - there are hopes for those spectacular end of summer days that inspire poetic thoughts and words.
I hope the cool air gets to you soon. We got it yesterday here in Maine. Our top temps were only in the mid 90's, so I guess I will quit complaining.
My geraniums look the best, too. Portulac likes hot weather, too, so that is okay. The garden looks kind of piddly, though, from the heat.
The basil and in pots on my front porch look much like the photo you posted. This week, the Humidex was at something like 119 by late in the afternoon. Not too nice. It's cooled off over the past couple of days. Hope that's the last of the scorching weather for this summer!
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