[Miniature] Gardening in the Heat

The national weather map remains as colorful as a rainbow these days with one exception: the Great Northwest. Ugh. I’m feeling the nation’s pain. I need a glass of water.

Being a miniature gardener, I’m always playing with different sizes and scales in the garden but, this time, we really need a big ol’ giant to run some hoses and turn on some huge fans to get the extreme weather moving and changing. Nice idea, huh?

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade….? if the weather hasn’t sucked your energy out of you, that is.

Go out to your garden, your neighbor’s garden or your local botanical garden and look for the plants that are doing well in this extreme heat right now because the plants that are going to survive the heat will be quite obvious – they are the ones that are alive. ;o) And, more than likely, they are the ones that are established too.

(By established, we mean regular watering until the plant’s roots can find their own source of water, which can take a season or two, but it’s highly recommended to keep caring for it and watering it regularly for a full year, to be sure.)

Gardening is a lot of fun but it can be frustrating at times – especially when the weather is against you. You may have spent your budget on flowering annuals only to have them die in the heat because you didn’t water them that day. Plants level the playing field for us. Plants don’t care who you are or what you do – they grow the same for everybody regardless of race, color or creed. The real trick is “right plant, right place.” Conditions like this boring heat wave is extreme but it will separate the givers and the takers in the garden.

“Drought Tolerant” doesn’t mean the plant doesn’t need water.
It only means that the plant can tolerate some dry conditions.
Please water all your gardens during the dry months to keep them happy.

So, whatever plants are “giving” you wonderful foliage and flowers without too much maintenance right now – plant more of that. Take note of their hardiness and care requirements to find more plants that will thrive in the same conditions.

And remember that the very best time to plant an in-ground garden is in the fall. The plants will have the fall rains to help them get situated, they’ll go dormant for the winter (in most area) and when the weather warms up next spring, the plants will already be “home” and raring to grow. Plant container gardens anytime.

So make notes of what is working, peruse through the plants lists and do some armchair gardening this month to prepare for your fall planting so next year, you can relax, enjoy the summer and drink lemonade.

Find the plants that I used here. Check back often, our plant inventory always changes.

Find more realistic accessories for miniature gardening here. Check back often, good miniatures are hard to find and our inventory always changes. 

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