Huzzah and Cheers all around! Yesterday, clouds gathered, rain fell on a thirsty Earth, and the temperature (at least in North Austin) didn’t pass the century mark! It’s amazing how life looks better with touch of the cool. (Note: it wasn’t really cool, it simply wasn’t oven-like.) I pay no attention to the weather folk this time of year (the ‘hot and dry!’ monotony reigns in weather reports!) so I didn’t know there was a chance of precipitation and would have been skeptical if I’d heard about it before hand. Even with the lovely few hours break from the heat and glaring sun, I’m under no illusion that autumn is just around the corner or that our toasty days are done. The 45 day streak of triple digit temperatures may be over, but a new one starts today; there is a heat advisory in place today and for those following. But the days are noticeably shorter, early mornings offer sweetness that was absent for July and most of August, and it is clear that the weather pattern is progressing toward a different, gentler paradigm.
The garden was happy this morning: foliage was fresh, flowers were fully open, bees were a’buzzing. The damage from this historically hot summer is clear though, with plenty of crinkly, brown foliage and yellow-to-pale leaves, bleached so by the relentless rays of the sun. No matter the second spring that we enjoy in September, October, and November, the garden will finish this season bearing scars from summer’s searing heat and devastating drought.
The following photos were taken in the past few weeks, the post planned during that time but not finished until today.
Mexican Orchid tree, Bauhinia mexicana, flowers with cool white blooms, with a blush of pink. Annual sunflowers, which have since been removed, accompany the little tree.
I grow two of the native-to-Mexico plants, the first photo is in full sun, this second photo in mostly shade. Larger butterflies, hummingbirds, and bees of all sorts love these graceful flowers.
Turk’s Cap, Malvaviscus arboreus, are great summer bloomers, producing rich, hot-red hibiscus-like flowers. I’ve noticed there are fewer of these diminutive blooms this summer, but still enough for interested pollinators.
The wowzer blooms of Pride of Barbados, Caesalpinia pulcherrima, thrive in the heat and take what our difficult summers dish out. I wish I had room for another of these beauties.
Native Rock Rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, blooms from May to October. The cheery little mallows flower on new wood, so pruning during the course of the growing season assures plenty of pretty pinks.
Barbie-pink blooms open before sunrise, but close in early afternoon when it’s hot. As we move into autumn, the flowers will stay open all day. I’m looking forward to that!
Another native Mexican plant, Mexican Honeysuckle, Justicia spicigera, shines orange in the heat. That being said, this is the first year I’ve seen wilting of the foliage in between sparse irrigation.
Clusters of bright, tubular flowers attract many pollinators, including hummingbirds, native bees and honeybees, and many types of butterflies.
Desert Willow, Chilopsis linearis, is another spring, summer, fall bloomer. This summer’s heat seemed to challenge the tree to bloom more than usual–and the tree met that challenge. The flowers are hard for me to photograph, as they tend to be high up in the tree and there’s often a healthy breeze; I have a tough time getting a good shot of a pollinator enjoying the flower’s bounty. The foliage has also weathered the heat well; it’s green, lush and a good place for birds to hide.
Fortunately, some pretty blooms grow closer to the gardener’s lens.
Not all plants have fared well in summer’s heat. Purple Coneflowers, Echinacea purpurea, are gorgeous in spring, but become crispy critters as summer drones on. I see finches occasionally nibbling on the seeds, so I leave the plants until I no longer see birds alighting on spent blooms or until I can’t stand looking at them anymore–whichever is first. The Coneflowers will return a muted bloom cycle if/when the autumn rains come. And next spring, they’ll be stars of the spring garden once again.
Summer–its heat and blasting sun–has a firm grip and won’t let go for a while.
But I see and feel a shift.
With yesterday’s dab of rain and glory of dramatic, dark clouds which blanketed the sun for a time, plus today’s rejuvenated garden (however long it lasts!), I’m reminded and reassured that cycles repeat, that there is a universal turning of time in partnership with seasons, allowing for transformation of a garden and the larger world beyond.
My Gardener Says... 
The 45-day streak of triple digit temperatures was briefly interrupted yesterday, but our thermometer on the back porch showed 103° when I looked at it this afternoon.
I’m glad you were able to get at least one close shot of the desert willow. I see plenty of those trees planted along highways in Austin, including US 183 in my part of town. I’ve also noticed rock rose planted along US 183 in east Austin.
LikeLike
Our break didn’t last long, but was appreciated, nonetheless. I just love my desert willow, but it’s a hard one to get a good photo of. It’s shape is a little wonky, which I like, but the flowers are always blowin’ in the wind.
LikeLike
I’m glad for your intermission, however brief it may have been, and I keep marveling at how healthy so many of your plants look in your photos, despite this summer’s hellish conditions. Wishing you more rain and less heat in the weeks/months to come.
LikeLike
Things are changing, slowly but surely. It’s always tough this time of year, our summers are hard and this one has been a doozy!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My area is going on water rationing. It is not going to be easy as we are usually a wetter part of Texas.
LikeLike
We’re on limits, mostly for overhead sprinklers. That said, I sure see lots of folks watering on days they’re not supposed to be watering, and ever better, watering the street of sidewalks. That makes me nuts!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Six weeks over 100º… I cannot imagine it! You’ve planned your garden well as for the most part, they seemed to be weathering well. I hope respite comes soon!
LikeLike
Thanks, Eliza–and we’re back at it again! It will end, eventually and hopefully with gentle, well-paced and well-placed rain. Fingers-crossed!
I have some fixing to do in the garden, so the challenges of this summer aren’t completely in vain, at least where my garden is concern.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I had wondered whether you got some of that rain that came through. My area got a quarter-inch, and I was pleased to see that some of the mid-coast refuges got a bit, too. I was optimistic, since even feeder bands on the very outside of storm can stir things up a bit; I’m glad the atmosphere stirred for you!
I so enjoy both the desert willow and the Mexican orchid tree. My Kerrville friend has both, and there was a Mexican orchid tree at the Brazoria refuge, but it seems unwilling to come back from our terrible freeze. (Freeze: remember that?)
Just so you know, at work today, about 10 a.m., I smelled autumn on the wind. It picked up out of the northwest, and I suppose it was that lack of humidity that caught my attention first. But there’s a certain fragrance to autumn wind, and it was here today — albeit for about ten minutes!
LikeLike
It was glorious, if all too brief!
I’m sorry, but not surprised that the Mexican Orchid didn’t come back. I’ve been pleasantly surprised that mine have returned, year after year. They’re blooming now and the pollinators are thrilled.
I know that fragrance! I tend to fell/smell, become aware of it in early August, this year it’s a bit late. We’re still hot, the promise of kinder temperatures is in the air–hopefully soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s wonderful that you and your plants had some relief. It’s amazing how a long stretch of 100°+ can make 95° seem “cool”. Not that I have experienced such a stretch but I can imagine what it’s like. Your flowers look refreshed and happy.
LikeLike
Many of the flowering plants have been real troopers, especially the native Texas plants and those from Mexico. I have some non-native (mostly grown for their foliage) that have really struggled. I’ll have to make a decision on whether to replace them. Sigh.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Impressive growth and beauty despite the heat and drought. The Pride of Barbados and the Mexican Honeysuckle seem right at home. Take care, and I hope you’ll get more relief soon.
LikeLike
Overall, I’m happy with the garden’s performance during this very challenging summer. You’re certainly correct about those two plants, they are as tough as can be! We’re toward the end of this hard stretch and very glad of it!!
LikeLike
Your garden is still looking great, despite all of the heat. 67 this morning, so a shift is coming. Slowly.
LikeLike
Wow–67, I think I would pass out! It was 74 when I walked my dog at 7am and I had goosebumps. 🙂 It is changing, and thank goodness for that, but sure wish we’d get some rain!
LikeLike