Glass Half Full

It is on days like this I remember why I chose the name for my blog. It has continued to be really hot, and really dry. Each morning the weather lady tells me that the heat advisory includes my county, and that the chance for shower relief is 20%. Each afternoon the field turns another notch towards the right on the green to brown color continuum. Each night I fall into bed exhausted, having done little actual work besides watering and weeding.
 While wandering around the nursery trying to figure out where to start today, I am also reminded that there are a really good handful of plants that actually like this hot dry weather (besides crabgrass, that is....) So today I am applauding these durable woodies which perform in spite of my negligence. Let's take a look:

Rosmarinus 'Anna Hulke'

 Rosemary is a no-brainer. And comes in many sizes, forms, and textures. This picture is of a large sturdy shrub form called Anna Hulke. I don't do anything to it, but this big upright takes pruning very easily, and could be a very formal hedge. As far as I know, nothing can kill it.....maybe the combination of bad drainage and irrigation.

Abelia 'Rose Creek' and Lantana 'Apricot Sunrise'

Lantanas and Margarita

 Nothing in the summer really beats
Lantana.
There are many coming on the market that are cold hardier than they used to be, and can now be considered perennial in many areas. In addition to profuse flowering in a wide range of colors and habits, these plants are deer proof, and maintenance free. That's my kind of plant!

Buddleia x 'Silver Anniversary'

Anisacanthus wrighti

A couple of easy, tough shrubs are Buddleia "Silver Anniversary' and Anisacanthus wrightii. Each of these loves hot weather, grows to about 3'x3', and they are also deerproof.

Caryopteris 'Longwood Blue'

 Another group of plants that are a joy in mid to late summer are Caryopteris (Blue Mist Shrub) There's 'Longwood Blue', Summer Sorbet', Worchester Gold' and 'Snow fairy' just to name a very few. Deer Proof, tough, and a bumble bee magnet!

Caryopteris 'Snow Fairy'

Caryopteris 'Worchester Gold'

Cupressu glabra 'Chapparal' behind Caryopteris 'Summer Sorbet'

Here's a photo of an old fashioned southern
garden plant : Cestrum parqui. It blooms from about May thru till frost. We usually prefer botanical names, but this plant is often referred to as the "peanut butter plant" because of that distinct foliage smell.

Cestrum parqui

Another very aromatic plant that shines in the heat is this green santolina. It will make a fantastic dark green mound that will not melt out no matter how hot or dry it gets.

Santolina virens

Another great group of plants that I like more and more each day is the shrub Hypericums. They are evergreen, deer proof, heat and drought tolerant. They have large starburst yellow flowers in mid summer, and maintain a nice neat habit of about 3-4' x3-4' with absolutely no maintenance. These are not easily found in the retail market, but certainly should be. Go look for them in gardens around your area.

Hypericum densiflorum

Hypericum pseudohenryi

Hypericum kalmianum

 I will throw a few plant combos in here. I am sure there are many possibilities, but these turned up in my early August garden as examples: From herbaceous perennials to evergreen shrubs to magnificent large conifers, there are many plants that can spice up your summer garden. Now is the time to find them, take note, and make plans to put them in your garden as soon as it cools off and starts raining again. "For myself I am an optimist – it does not seem to be much use being anything else "- Sir Winston Churchill

Agave, Euphorbia, Juniperus deppeana

Amsonia hubrechtii and Colocasia 'Black Magic'

Conifer display

Opuntia and Artemisia