It’s Blooming Hot

As I write this we are in the midst of what is supposed to be a mercifully short heatwave. About a week ago when temperatures were more spring-like I decided it was finally time to get the patio plants planted. I spent about a week acclimating the coleus to outdoor temperatures. (Last week it was colder outside than in, but oh how quickly things have changed).

I really wish everything grew as well as those coleus plants that I bought three years ago that just keep going strong from cuttings I take each fall and grow over the winter in some indoor flower pots. For the rest of the outdoor plants, though, we needed to head out to the stores.

Photo of me transferring some vinca flowers to a hanging basket and surrounded by bags of potting soil and flower pots.

I stay away from anything too fancy, when it comes to our planters, because as I’ve learned our local deer consider themselves gourmets and love to try out fancy plants. In fact, the only plants I knew for sure I wanted to get were some lantana flowers to go in the planters closest to the lawn (aka the deer salad bar).

Photo of me holding the hanging vinca flowers basket with some red lantana flowers visible in the white planter behind me.

In the past I’ve always gotten the pink and yellow lantana flowers, but the local farm only had a bright red and orange variety. So, red and orange, it is. Let’s hope the deer don’t suddenly decide they want to sample some, though I am happy to report they’ve been untouched for nearly a week now. So, that’s a good sign.

Close up photo of red and orange lantana flowers.

Before I realized it had to be nothing but lantana in these planters, I tried planting some day lily bulbs. I later dug them up and planted them in a few spots in the yard where, if they are especially lucky, they might get to bloom for a day before getting chomped by the deer.

Here’s one of those lilies coming up.

Photo taken looking down at a day lilly plant that has not yet bloomed.

Do we think it will actually bloom?

A plant that the deer don’t eat, and which I can take zero credit for, since I do absolutely nothing for it is the big rhododendron bush at the side of our house. The bees absolutely adore this bush. I went out there to look at it the other morning, and the whole giant bush was humming with bumblebees. Here’s one bumblebee laden with pollen making the rounds of the rhododendron blooms:

Well, by the time you read this our heat wave should be nearly done, with a relatively cool Memorial Day weekend in the forecast. Hope you’re staying cool as well, and that all your flowers are blooming, both literally and figuratively.

— Alissa