Any thoughts of a continued mild, wet summer were dashed this past couple of weeks. It was HOT, HUMID and dry, and darn unpleasant to be outside in. My sprinkler system was running and I was still dragging hoses to water some spots that needed it. The pots on my deck have been a daily watering chore. My large metal container with a fig tree on the deck has really suffered from the loss of my shade.
The metal is exposed to full sun now and it is drying out quickly. I am watering like crazy to keep all the figs that it has--it is loaded.
Speaking of sun and solar power--we got our first full month's electric bill following our installation of solar power
and the actual usage bill was only $10.63 and it has been hot outside!
I actually don't owe anything since I had been on levelized billing before, so they owe me--I may not have a bill the rest of the year--wouldn't that be nice?! I am quite pleased and I think this means I can crank that air conditioning down even lower!! Of course, Clay doesn't think so--he is obsessed with our energy usage. When I am out of town, we make more money on solar power than when I am home. He now has a computer program that tells him exactly how much energy usage everything we own uses! He has been known to call me from the office to see if I am using the drier or the oven. He has installed smart outlets all over the house. The other night we were watching television and I kept getting hotter and hotter. I accused him of turning up the AC to save energy, but he insisted he hadn't touched it. When we checked, it wasn't keeping up. He went and checked our AC unit outside, and it wasn't working. It was 77 degrees outside, and 83 inside. Needless to say, I was opening windows and dragging in every fan to my bedroom possible. I survived the night quite nicely. The AC repairmen were out early and luckily it was just a Capacitor switch that needed replacing, and we were back in business. Good thing for Clay as I was suspecting some type of sabotage on his part to save energy. I did not get solar power to reduce my energy usage but to save money. Clay wants to have the best energy record for the Guinness book, but with me at his side, that is not going to happen. But I am convinced about solar power and highly recommend it.
As hot as it has been, my poor mama robin outside needs some solar power of her own. She has to pant to stay cool,
while flying off to find food for her babies. Maybe after this one leaves the nest she will take a breather for a bit.
While universities all over the country do plant trials to determine what does well in their states, I like to monitor what I grow in my own yard to help me determine what to plant next year. I am absolutely loving the Tattoo vinca I have in pots on the deck.
They haven't slowed down in the slightest. The darker eye of the tattoo is not as intense as when I planted them,
(I assume due to the heat) but they are colorful and lush and rarely show any signs of wilting. I planted May 21 and they have more than tripled in size on July 12.
The Tattoo series includes several different colors which I fell in love with last year when I went to the trials in California. They supposedly are not resistant to the stem canker so were recommended in containers versus the ground. They have large flowers and great bloomability.
Other annuals that are standing strong in this heat are lantana,
cuphea Vermillionaire,
Sunpatiens, pentas
and Vista fuchsia petunias.
All are in full sun, almost all day and doing great. I have been surprised by my fall-planted snapdragon still going strong.
The fig tree is providing some shade, but it is still hot for snapdragons.
I am not doing any official measuring, but I do take regular pictures and can go back and compare. Keeping records of which plants do well in your own yard makes decision making so much easier. I always have to try some new plants as well, but there are some things that work, and some that don't. Taking time to keep a journal whether online or on paper, helps.
Stay cool. I did get about 10 drops of rain mid-afternoon today, but they say more is coming. My yard needs it!