When it is 78 degrees at 8:00 AM, I know it is going to be a day to stay in the shade. Lately, many days have been much too hot for any heavy outdoor labor. The usual temperature peak at mid-day on these June days has been in the 90's.
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"Tough as Nails" - Walking Iris, Neomarica longifolia, gracilis, and caerulea along with Artemisia 'Powis Castle', Red Firespike, Odontonema strictum and Tropical Milkweed, Asclepias curassavica |
Combined with a lack of rainfall, the heat can really take a toll on the garden. I have no irrigation in the back garden. When the rain barrels are dry, it's just me and the hose. I try to stick to the twice a week watering schedule for sprinkler systems that my county has enacted even though I'm watering by hand.
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"Tough as Nails" - Bromeliads, Purple Heart, Tradescantia pallida, Lotus Begonia, Begonia nelumbiifolia
"Thirsty" - Caladiums |
Growing plants that are "tough as nails" in this central Florida heat-filled summer is key to having a garden at all. Placed in high shifting shade beneath the oaks certain plants are very drought tolerant. More thirsty plants are gathered together in spots where they can be more easily watered without having to water the entire garden.
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| "Tough as Nails" - Gulf Fritillary butterfly on Purple Heart |
Gulf Fritillaries are loving the heat and flitting around everywhere. I notice them landing in the drops of water that collect in the creases of foliage around the garden. Several birdbaths are located among the plantings and I have to fill them daily. All types of wildlife are as thirsty as the plants. I find birds, butterflies, insects, and squirrels drinking from these miniture oases.
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"Tough as Nails" - Forsythia Sage, Salvia madrensis, Flowering Maple, Abutilon, Starburst Clerodendrum, Clerodendrum quadriloculare "Thirsty"- Coleus and Caladiums |
What a difference a shade tree makes for the garden. My temperature gauge is located on the oak tree well shaded by leafy branches. There isn't a thermometer in the sunny garden area so I can't prove my claim that there is at least a 10-15 degree difference in the two places. I still maintain it is true though.
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| "Tough as Nails" - Crossandra 'Orange Marmalade' |
Drought tolerant doesn't mean there are no flowers. Many plants flower well through the summer doldrums.
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| "Tough as Nails" - Bromeliads, African Iris, Dietes iridioides, Azaleas, Liriope |
Placing the thirstiest plant varieties all together and near a water source makes watering a more efficient effort. When we have as little as half an inch of rain both of my rain barrels will be full. This precious supply can easily be hauled by watering can to the spots of "thirsty" plants while the "tough as nails" plants are able to survive without supplemental water.
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| "Tough as Nails" - Shrimp Plant, Justicia brandegeana 'Fruit Cocktail' |
Florida is a place where drought conditions can be experienced for a few months and then torrential rains can come the next few months. Summer brings blistering heat and oppressive humidity and winter brings periods of freezing temperatures. Our gardens have to be able to take it all in stride.
It would be a boring garden that had one plant that could take all the extremes. My goal is to have a mixture of plants for all the seasons of my Florida garden. That's the unique thing about gardening here in the "Sunshine State" - four gardening seasons. It's challenging, but I'm going to keep trying to pull off a year-round garden.
Wherever you garden, what are your favorite "tough as nails" plants in your garden?
