Six on Saturday – Wilt Proof

We’ve had no rain again all week; lake and river levels are too low to spill over the mill falls; folks have started to report wells going dry; large patches of grassy areas are dormant brown.  Seems like a normal mid summer in southeastern Ontario; and I recognize how very fortunate we are compared to other parts of the world that are experiencing extreme weather conditions.

Luckily we had a bit of rain last Saturday and  a bit more is forecast for tomorrow so the rain barrels will continue to provide water to the tomatoes.

Most everything else is on its own though.  I’ve been noticing this week which shrubs and perennials are feeling stressed and which seem quite fine.  Daylilies with their large fleshy water retaining roots are still looking great, globe thistles with their fuzzy leaves and deep reaching roots are fine.   Rudbeckia, with a more shallow root system on top of my rocky clay soil is really wilting, as are Viburnum and even Lilac shrubs.

Here are six plants in my garden today (and yesterday) – to see more sixes from around the globe head on over to The Propagator’s site.

1 – Disintegrating flower of a Button Bush – Cephalanthus occidentalis – an Ontario native shrub.  Kind of neat how the seeds just fall off…

Same flower, last week.

2 – I have no idea what these are — they come back year after year and the top of a mound of dirt, they spread around so I pull a bunch now and then, I’ve seen hummingbirds zooming around them…they don’t mind the hot dry summer!

closeup of the flower

3 – pretty fabulous orange-red daylily

4 – Blue Globe Thistle – Echinops – standing tall and proud

5 – My lilies opened just this morning – obviously wanting to be part of this Six!

Echinacea purpurea is usually the star of the garden at the end of July – the white variety competes quite well though I think.