Reality

What happens when you are away from your garden for three weeks in the heat of the summer? Well the reality is that the garden is in a pretty sorry state. Temperatures have been in the triple digits with severe heat index warnings and virtually zero rain. This translates to stressed plants and trees and sometimes death in the garden.

Looking into the woodland garden is more representative of fall than summer. The paths are littered with fallen leaves. 

The trees are highly stressed. This dogwood's leaves tell the whole story.

Sadly, despite having hired someone to water while I was away, I lost several ferns from lack of water including two Ostrich Ferns (one of my favorites!) and 4 Beech Ferns.  There is one green frond left on this Cinnamon Fern. I hope that with some pampering I can save it.

The faithful daylilies are even suffering severely.

Many of the plants such as the Bee Balm and Shasta Daisy need some serious deadheading.

 

The roses don't like the heat at all and have been assaulted all summer by the Japanese beetles.

And the lawn which has either gone dormant or dead could really use some rain!

But it is not all doom and gloom. Some plants are performing splendidly despite the heat and drought.

Salvia greggii 'Navajo-Rose' and 'Hot lips'

Agastache cana 'Heather Queen'

Black & Blue Salvia

 

Coreopsis 'moonbeam'

Black-eyed Susan

This is the reality. Vacation is over. And it is summer in Georgia when I expect most everything to look tired and stressed but it is still shocking after returning from Michigan were the landscape was green and full of blooms. The good news is that even the weeds aren't growing in this heat and most of these plants will bounce back for a second round of blooms this fall when the temperatures cool and hopefully we will get more rain.