Drought and burning temperatures persist. Here is what my front garden looks like now:
The arborvitae ferns (in the foreground) are turning brown in the triple digit heat. The azaleas above them are turning yellow, definitely not a good sign. The good news is that neither the ferns nor the azaleas are dead yet, and the temps are predicted to be 15-20 degrees cooler next week. We may even get some rain this weekend. So if we can hang in there a little longer, things may get better.
The 50% chance of rain makes me nervous. I would like better odds. Too many times black clouds have hoodwinked us with unfulfilled promises. I took these photos just last week, but the deceptively dark clouds passed over without releasing a drop:
I usually can find beauty in the garden, no matter what. I can appreciate the dead stuff, but it would be easier if the following shots were taken in November or December:
Nature created this collage of prematurely dead leaves.
A dead branch fell on a chair in my woodland garden, creating an accidental composition that appealed even to my drought weary eyes.
Leftovers from a squirrel banquet made me genuinely smile. Someone really enjoyed those pinecones!
Despite the premature aging in the garden, there are spots of color. Autumn crocus is a delight. I put these in only a couple weeks ago, and already Colchicum 'The Giant' is blooming. These were an experiment, and I plan to plant more:
Spider lilies (Hymenocallis) appear like magic every year, supplying bright color for very little maintenance:
Eupatorium coelestinum, also called hardy ageratum and blue mistflower, are favorite wildflowers. They will reseed themselves around but are easy to pull, and I do not consider them invasive:
Somewhere in my closet are long-sleeved shirts. I am looking forward to digging them out. I may even sit a pumpkin or two outside to celebrate the new season, once the temps drop enough so that they don't cook in the sunshine.