ITHINK MUCH OF THE NATION WILL IDENTIFY with this week’s exhausted utterance from our beloved Andre Jordan, one of millions of Americans who have been roasting, along with their gardens, for an impossibly long spell. “Today seems (so far) to be the first day that it is not going to hit 100 plus,” Andre wrote to me this morning, as if dipping below 100 was something to celebrate. “Totally exhausting.” May you dip way below 100, Andre, along with all our other way-too-hot friends.
THE LECTURE that he’s been giving for a number of years is not-so-subtly called “Kill Your Lawn.” Ecological horticulturist Dan Jaffe Wilder knows that starting over and creating an entire native habitat instead of a lawn isn’t for everyone. But Dan just wants to grab our attention and get us to start to make some changes at least in the way we care for the turfgrass we do want in our landscapes. And maybe give up a little square footage of it to some other kind of more diverse planting, too, like the wild strawberries (Fragaria virginiana, inset). Alternative, more eco-focused styles of lawn care, along with some lawn alternatives is what he and I talked about on the podcast. Dan is Director of Applied Ecology at Norcross Wildlife Foundation in Wales, Massachusetts, and its 8,000-acre sanctuary. He’s also co-author with Mark Richardson of the book “Native Plants for New England Gardens.”
(Stream it below, read the illustrated transcript or subscribe free.)
Finally, here in the great north, we will be dipping into the mid-80s for the next week. Halle-freaking-lujah. My gardening will no longer be segregated to early morning and almost-dark evenings. (Take that, mosquitoes!)
Yesterday hit 114 here–our hottest day ever recorded. It’s all I can do to keep things from totally frying.
we had one day here in south Dakota that reached 124. I did not like it. Though I do feel bad moaning about the heat as I know the winters here bring ‘feels like – 30’
It’s been hovering around 100 during the afternoons here in Fresno, but we have no humidity and the mornings are cool (mid-60s). It’s completely tolerable in the garden until about noon…Ouch, Steph. Where are you?
Oh that made me laugh. Not as hot as you’ve had in the US here in Latvia but still sunny and I have been turning hay on a steep hill by hand for much of the afternoon and that is exactly how I feel, the problem is I have friends coming to stay tomorrow night and I must get on with cleaning the kitchen
andre always brings a smile to my face and a chuckle to my heart.
thanks andre (and thanks margaret for sharing him with us)!
I can’t wait till this summer ends. I am so sick of watering my yard and the community garden. We had the 2nd hottest July in history with most days over 90 and four over 100.
I think there are *many* people here who agree with you, Sylvia. We have had only a couple of extra-hot bouts here, so are basically lucky by comparison, but the soil is nevertheless dry and everything looked tired. Including me. :)
I’m going with fried. Went to work on Tuesday and things looked o.k. Came home Tuesday night and two boxwoods in a 10 year old hedge that were perfectly green in the a.m. had turned brown by the p.m. I guess they were saying we’ve had enough! Never seen anything like it.
Another 108° here in sunny Texas. Rain please!!!! My front yard looks like we’ve had a 5.5 category earthquake!!
I couldn’t keep myself from commenting on this.I live in Lahore-Pakistan where it gets 40C-46C throughout the summer.Our rainy season is even hotter as the humidity is always very high and a temp of 38C-40C is wore than 45C of may when its not that humid.You’ll be surprised to know I am growing adeniums,daylilies,clematis,kiwi vines,akebia longracemosa,ferraria crispa,gerberas and much more.Who says nothing grows in zone 10.
You are my new hero, Adnan. The climate here is about as good as it gets in the US any longer, since so many of our regions are drought-plagued, but I know you persevere in other areas of the globe and always have, and I admire you greatly. I love what you said (perfect for “climate change” times as we have today): “Who says nothing grows in zone 10?” Come back soon and say hello again!
Sometimes, with all the tech surrounding me,
all the blogs sounding like “blah, blah, blah”.
Nothing catches my eye, I don’t remember what I’ve just read…
Then I open this blog, and a I hear an “ahhhhh” from my own little head.
And I am reminded why I love this site, and why I love this blog.
My eyes get bright, I see the light, and I come out from under the fog.
Here’s to US dear gardeners, wanna be’s, hope to be’s and ares.
And everyone in between.
Thank you, Charlie. How kind. We are lucky to have such a great group of gardeners here, I agree!
This is the first summer I’ve seen fried green tomatoes on the vine. How is that for fresh?