Sizzling summers support sun-heat-loving ornamentals
Our HOT summer has taken me back in memory to the ’40s, when as a kid in Coeur d’Alene, I made the daily trek to City Beach and spent hours playing in the water and picking up a toasty tan while basking on the beach.
Those were idyllic times in the then-small (about 1,000 people) town, a lifestyle lost forever when World War II came. The building of Farragut Naval Base boosted our population ten times over and changed the small town into a thriving city which hasn’t stopped growing yet. But I digress: I was writing about the weather — and our current (at this writing) temps have been ranging in the high 90s for some time now. A rarity which will probably become a fact of life.
But hey — corn and tomato growers are jumping with joy and we purchasers of their produce are lucky beneficiaries. And the other plus is hardy, colorful ornamentals. I’ve noted that bright flowers seem to love bright sun. Check out the following.
Annuals such as Zinnias, Nasturtiums, Marigolds, Sweet peas, Pansies, Geraniums, Love Lies Bleeding, and a host of others — some of which may re-seed on their own.
But it’s the perennials that shine. Those preferring “dry and sunny” include rich blue-violet-spired Veronica; the bright brown/black-eyed yellow of Rudbekia,; Echinacea (purple coneflower); red Penstemon) and Bee-balm (Monarda);. Upright, “spired” companions include Liatris, Celosia (Cockscomb), Kniphofia (red-hot Poker), Astilbe (pictured)- all available in a host of colors and all forgiving of hot, dry days. Astilbe, by the way, prefers a little shade, so planting near a shrub or in a treed area is perfect for them.
Effective “wild” pairings include Goldenrod (Solidago) and red Oriental poppies, red or purple Monarda (bee balm) and silvery-grey-green Artemisia — from common Wormwood to Dusty Miller, Powis Castle, Silver Mound and other cultivars. Too, think daisy/aster/sunflower “marriages” mixing a melee of flower-head sizes and colors in an endearing space-filler — especially for poor soil.
Dramatic mixes usually seen in Xeriscapes are possible in many situations such as small feature or rock gardens, and many Idaho-hardy choices are available. Bushy and shrub-type choices include our native “box” — or Pachistima, along with Heather, Santolina (lavender cotton), Sage, from ornamental Salvias to Clary sage and culinary strains; Baby’s breath, Money plant (Lunaria), Lavender, Coreposis, Nepeta, and a variety of Viburnums.
Native grasses such as Miscanthus purpureus and Idaho Blue fescue are beautiful and hardy clumping growers. On the other hand, the glorious patch of (non-native) Yucca at Zip’s drive-in makes waiting in line a pleasure.
By the way, water-site plantings can reflect the weather change too. Besides the gorgeous moisture-loving hardy Iris and Lilies, try one of my favorites — Papryus — and don’t forget Pussy willow.
Groundcovers can vary from our native Kinnikinnick, Prunella (Self-heal) and Veronica, to Sedum, and creeping variations of smooth or woolly Thyme, Veronica, Tanacetum and Phlox. Sweet woodruff, too, with its fragrant whorled leaves and tiny white floral “bouquets” is another happy choice, as is Snow-in-Summer (Cerastium) offering fragrance with beauty. By the way, climbing choices for fences, rocks or lattice include hop vines, honeysuckle, and our small-flowered native Clematis can add hardy beauty in appropriate sites.
All sites — except for deep shade — lend themselves to today’s suggestions — and offer any number of choices for mix-and-match or intermittent swaths of color. Many are deer-proof, a true bonus here. Make use of extant entities –a focal point such as a stone or shrub, a small ornamental Crabapple or cherry tree, Perennial Pea and/or Laburnum (Golden Chain tree). These and many others can be utilized for any type of garden you may choose. “Heavier-duty” plants can serve in some situations: consider Native Oregon grape, prostrate Juniper, and Mugho (and other dwarf) pines provide texture and contrast, as would a variety of the earlier mentioned ornamental grasses in clumps here and there.
Rock, gravel and concrete gardens lend themselves to pots. In fact, you can use nothing but pots if you wish — from small to huge, they lend themselves to any free-standing choice mentioned, plus herbs that need protection and can be renewed each year with such annual glories as trailing nasturtiums, hop-like Ornamental oregano (Oreganum rotundifolium), rosemary and other tender herbs (to be brought in in the fall). , Pretty foliar perennials do very well in pots, such as Hosta, Heuchera (Coral bells), Astilbe and other hardy beauties that love both the sun and shade with equal ardor.
If the weather — and the world — is changing, so must we rethink our lives. The heat’s on, so let’s not fight it.
Valle Novak writes the Country Chef and Weekend Gardener columns for the Daily Bee. She can be reached at bcdailybee@bonnercountydailybee.com. or by phone at 208-265-4688 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
