Trax
Active Member
Or "What to grow if you live in the Mojave Desert", lol. I thought I made a thread for this but I can't find it now.
Anyway, Maybe this will help other gardeners who live in hot climates and don't know what they can grow. Please share any experiences you've had with growing plants in hot, dry climates here.
I got really curious last summer since the heat killed the holly bush so I dug up the weather statistics and found the actual highs. Here's what they were:
MAY 2011
A mix of 70's to 90's (F).
JUNE
90-92-94-95-95-96-96-96-94-94-90-94-99-101-96-100-104-107-103-100
97-100-102-102-102-103-104-96-102-105
JULY
105-105-107-106-106-106-110-100-112-106-105-102-102-105-105-102
102-102-100-102-102-102-104-106-100-105-108-105-102-104-106
AUGUST
100-100-100-83-80-83-81-84-86-89-89-100-104-91-66-62-90-84-85-89
82-70-83-88-78-82-87-93-93-78
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
The highest temp in October was 88. There were no freezes till December and the lowest temp for the whole winter was in the 20's (F).
This summer has been tons cooler but we still have enough heat to kill most plants if they aren't watered every day.
MAY 2012
A mix of 70's to 90's (F). A lot like May 2011.
And mostly June was awesome. Only 6 days in the 100's (F):
JUNE
66-87-91-92-91-76-77-84-87-89-89-85-81-91-90-92-91-91-89-89-79
90-97-100-104-106-101-101-100-98
July was a lot cooler too:
JULY
94-94-97-100-100-100-98-98-100-90-95-98-97-98-95-94-100-100-104
108-104-102-102-98-103-101-102-106-108-108-109 (today)
Last summer it rained once each month. This summer, zero rain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT I LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE
FLOWERS
PANSIES. They bloomed in the spring and were awesome both summers.
LILIES & TULIPS. They were awesome both summers too but the lily leaves died back when the heat started.
IRISES. They were awesome both summers too and the leaves stayed healthy all summer.
CANAS. The ones that were in the shade did awesome both summers but they stopped blooming when the 100's heat started. The leaves stayed green and healthy. The ones in full sun died.
MUMS. They can do okay but they need to be in the shade when it's this hot or the leaves die and they won't grow back in the fall. That's when they flower.
ROSES. They liked the heat both summers too. I think the low humidity helped them a lot.
BLUE HOSTAS. The leaves finally died, even in the shade with lots of water, but the only summers they flowered were these last 2 triple-digit summers.
CALA LILIES. I def wanna grow some but the heat didn't just kill the leaves, it killed the bulbs too - in the shade. I'm going to try them again but I'm def digging up the bulbs after spring.
PETUNIAS. They are awesome this summer and started blooming when the heat wave started. I grow those in the shade in a pot and I def want more.
If anyone has any info, advice, or corrections, please share.
VEGGIES
OKRA. It loved this heat and both summers it was awesome!
PEPPERS. Even the bell peppers were awesome both summers.
HORSERADISH. That's really hard to kill. It did awesome both summers but I forgot to water them enough this year so I had to rescue mine. No prob. The roots are very deep and it will grow back next spring anyway.
PINEAPPLE. It loved the heat both summers.
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS. The apples are edible and the flowers are awesome too and it's been awesome both summers.
Again, if anyone has any info, advice, or corrections, please share.
I want this thread to be all about growing plants in very hot environments - especially dry ones but not restricted to that. I want it to be a thread for sharing ideas and experiences.
Here's my latest projects.
IRISES.
I dug up a ton of hybrid irises today cause they didn't bloom either year. They were in morning sun. The ones that bloomed and were the healthiest were in full sun. I'll keep the tubers cool and dry till the heat wave ends then re-plant them in a better spot.
Z102 by Trax, on Flickr
CANAS.
The other project I started today was canas. The ones growing in the shade were awesome both summers and bloomed till the heat wave started. The ones in full sun died.
I dug up 2 survivors and I'll put them in the shade when the heat wave ends. The ones in the shade aren't flowering but they are sending up pups!
Z100 by Trax, on Flickr
Z101 by Trax, on Flickr
Sorry about the small photo sizes. I can't display more than 1024x768 till I renew my Pro account at Flikr. I'll be doing that this weekend.
Anyway, Maybe this will help other gardeners who live in hot climates and don't know what they can grow. Please share any experiences you've had with growing plants in hot, dry climates here.
I got really curious last summer since the heat killed the holly bush so I dug up the weather statistics and found the actual highs. Here's what they were:
MAY 2011
A mix of 70's to 90's (F).
JUNE
90-92-94-95-95-96-96-96-94-94-90-94-99-101-96-100-104-107-103-100
97-100-102-102-102-103-104-96-102-105
JULY
105-105-107-106-106-106-110-100-112-106-105-102-102-105-105-102
102-102-100-102-102-102-104-106-100-105-108-105-102-104-106
AUGUST
100-100-100-83-80-83-81-84-86-89-89-100-104-91-66-62-90-84-85-89
82-70-83-88-78-82-87-93-93-78
SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER
The highest temp in October was 88. There were no freezes till December and the lowest temp for the whole winter was in the 20's (F).
This summer has been tons cooler but we still have enough heat to kill most plants if they aren't watered every day.
MAY 2012
A mix of 70's to 90's (F). A lot like May 2011.
And mostly June was awesome. Only 6 days in the 100's (F):
JUNE
66-87-91-92-91-76-77-84-87-89-89-85-81-91-90-92-91-91-89-89-79
90-97-100-104-106-101-101-100-98
July was a lot cooler too:
JULY
94-94-97-100-100-100-98-98-100-90-95-98-97-98-95-94-100-100-104
108-104-102-102-98-103-101-102-106-108-108-109 (today)
Last summer it rained once each month. This summer, zero rain.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT I LEARNED BY EXPERIENCE
FLOWERS
PANSIES. They bloomed in the spring and were awesome both summers.
LILIES & TULIPS. They were awesome both summers too but the lily leaves died back when the heat started.
IRISES. They were awesome both summers too and the leaves stayed healthy all summer.
CANAS. The ones that were in the shade did awesome both summers but they stopped blooming when the 100's heat started. The leaves stayed green and healthy. The ones in full sun died.
MUMS. They can do okay but they need to be in the shade when it's this hot or the leaves die and they won't grow back in the fall. That's when they flower.
ROSES. They liked the heat both summers too. I think the low humidity helped them a lot.
BLUE HOSTAS. The leaves finally died, even in the shade with lots of water, but the only summers they flowered were these last 2 triple-digit summers.
CALA LILIES. I def wanna grow some but the heat didn't just kill the leaves, it killed the bulbs too - in the shade. I'm going to try them again but I'm def digging up the bulbs after spring.
PETUNIAS. They are awesome this summer and started blooming when the heat wave started. I grow those in the shade in a pot and I def want more.
If anyone has any info, advice, or corrections, please share.
VEGGIES
OKRA. It loved this heat and both summers it was awesome!
PEPPERS. Even the bell peppers were awesome both summers.
HORSERADISH. That's really hard to kill. It did awesome both summers but I forgot to water them enough this year so I had to rescue mine. No prob. The roots are very deep and it will grow back next spring anyway.
PINEAPPLE. It loved the heat both summers.
PRICKLY PEAR CACTUS. The apples are edible and the flowers are awesome too and it's been awesome both summers.
Again, if anyone has any info, advice, or corrections, please share.
I want this thread to be all about growing plants in very hot environments - especially dry ones but not restricted to that. I want it to be a thread for sharing ideas and experiences.
Here's my latest projects.
IRISES.
I dug up a ton of hybrid irises today cause they didn't bloom either year. They were in morning sun. The ones that bloomed and were the healthiest were in full sun. I'll keep the tubers cool and dry till the heat wave ends then re-plant them in a better spot.
Z102 by Trax, on Flickr
CANAS.
The other project I started today was canas. The ones growing in the shade were awesome both summers and bloomed till the heat wave started. The ones in full sun died.
I dug up 2 survivors and I'll put them in the shade when the heat wave ends. The ones in the shade aren't flowering but they are sending up pups!
Z100 by Trax, on Flickr
Z101 by Trax, on Flickr
Sorry about the small photo sizes. I can't display more than 1024x768 till I renew my Pro account at Flikr. I'll be doing that this weekend.