Recycled Water is Best During a Drought

The weather here in the mid-west section of the USA has been brutal this summer. We are an average of 20 degrees hotter for this time of the year and it makes gardening difficult because many of the seedlings were not established before the heat wave. I planted annual flowers, herbs, and vegetables during the spring seasons. But that season was about two weeks prior to the intense heat.

The average temperature from June through July was in the high 90’s with the heat index at 105+. When the weather is this hot too soon in the season the only thing that you can do is try your best to keep your new plants and seedlings hydrated.

I went through my three 50-gallon rain barrels very quickly because there was no rain to replenish them. Along with the high heat, our summer was dry and water was at drought status. We were on a water restriction which means I could not water my plants including vegetables daily, instead, I had odd days that I could water in the morning only.

On the days that I could water, I did set a slow-drip soaking hose on a timer and this hose runs from 5 to 9 AM. I never watered the gardens in the heat of the day because the water would evaporate. I watered my container plants including peppers and tomatoes with recycled water from our home. Collecting the water from the bathtub to put in the water barrel is a tiresome and time-consuming job. On average I worked a good hour on this task each and every morning. Sometimes in the afternoon if there was a water source that I could use.

All bath water was collected to water the container plants and by doing this I was able to keep these gardens hydrated during the summer drought.

In spring I planted 5000 zinnias and cosmos flowers and only a few survived the drought. It is safe to say that it has been a long hot summer and that I am looking forward to the cooler days in the fall when I can plant chrysanthemums and other fall-season flowers.

Hibiscus a Late Season Bloomer

A few years ago my brother gave me a Hibiscus rose of Sharon When he gave me the plant it had a few blooms and many buds. I was delighted to have the pretty pink flowering shrub but was worried because he had given it to me on the first day of July. It was past the time that I plant, the days were long and hot, and certainly, not a time to be planting a hibiscus, or so I thought.

I thought chose a sunny garden area that had six hours of the morning sun, partial shade in the heat of the day, and three hours of the late afternoon sun. I was hoping this would agree with the hibiscus because my yard is primarily shaded. I planted with amended soil and a root stimulator. Then I set up a soaking hose on a timer to water the hibiscus in the morning and mid-afternoon. The soil did not dry out and the sun did not burn the leaves. In the first year, the rose of Sharon bloomed all summer and well into the fall. In the second year, my hibiscus bloomed mid-July through the warm months in the fall.

Hibiscus is a wonderful addition to any garden because the large exotic flowers will continue to bloom when other flowers have ceased. the hibiscus will be put on a flower show for you to enjoy.

A mature hibiscus will grow upright to six feet with a similar spread. You can grow the hibiscus as a feature plant or plant a few to create a flowering privacy hedge. Shop for the hibiscus rose of Sharon in a variety of flower colors, you can choose from white, pink, lavender, and a gorgeous red. There are also hybrid colors which are a mixture of two colors.

Known pets: armadillos will dig up your newly planted hibiscus and groundhogs will eat the entire plant. Deer will eat the flowers. Other pests include whiteflies, aphids, spider mites, mealybugs, inchworms, and grasshoppers