Hot, Hot, Hot
While there are still plenty of things to do in the garden, even during this hot weather, let’s take a moment to consider ourselves. High temperatures and humidity have created dangerous heat indexes and Code Orange days in the past few weeks.
Since it is only just past the middle of July, the weather isn’t going to get cooler for a while. Garden early in the morning and follow the shade around as the sun gets higher. Or go out in the early evening. Don’t take chances.
Slather on some sunblock. Wear a hat. Take a bottle of water outside with you and remember to drink some every so often. Plan rest breaks in between projects.
Your plants will get extra thirsty as we approach the dog days of summer. Be sure they get plenty to drink as well. Possibly move the more tender plants that are in pots to areas where they get part shade during the day. If you have a plant that is getting too much sun, you can use a tarp to create shade for it, if it can’t be moved.
Watch out for whiteflies right now. They appear to be mold on the plant but if you shake them, they fly up. They love hibiscus, lantana and gardenias as a snack.
When you see this, and yellow leaves on your plants, cut those branches back and be sure to discard so they don’t spread. You can spray plants with insecticidal oils to get rid of these pests. Spray in the morning—and watch your vegetables for these too.
This is a good time to clean up the garden. Get rid of old plants which have died. Do some mulching to get ready for some fall flowers to perk up your garden. Wait until later, maybe September, to prune roses.
But no matter what you decide to do outside, be careful. It’s better to look at gardening on TV and in magazines and plan for cooler weather than to get heat stroke.
Photo and Story by Joyce Lavene
