Am I Ready for Summer Gardening? Maybe

     Normally around the first of June I discard all the winter annuals and replace them with hardier ones that I know will thrive in our desert summers. That includes the geraniums.  Geraniums do so well here in Fall, Winter, and Spring but become spindly  and unsightly when the temperatures start to soar.  They just don't want to bloom during our three digit summers.  All the low-desert gardening experts say to just get rid of them and plant new in the fall, so usually I do.  But this year they really outdid themselves in my front planter box,  and even though I know what they'll look like in a few months, I just can't bear to toss them.  So.....I'm moving them to my shaded patio  to try and squeeze a few more weeks from them.  You can't blame me for trying, can you?

     I  tend to roll with the punches where my garden is concerned now, unlike the first  couple of years we lived here in Phoenix.....I was in garden culture shock!  So many things were different! But I've learned now to appreciate those differences, and  I've found that with a little ingenuity I can grow things year round. Gotta love it!

     The potato vines have been amazing.  I planted them last summer and here we are almost a year later and they're doing great. Now that I've found them they are definitely going to be a staple around here.  As you can see, I've already started to clear away in the front  to make room for the little toughies that will hold down the fort until September.

     In the backyard the red Oleander bush has burst into bloom and is already topping out at 7 feet. It totally fills up the southwest corner at the fence. I really won't have to think about it much at all this summer.....I just get to enjoy it!  When the temperatures get to be over 110 degrees,  any plant that can take responsibility for itself is a beautiful plant!

     Then there's my favorite climbing rose "Golden Showers". Roses have to be babied a bit to keep them blooming in our heat, but I think they're totally worth it......especially troopers like this one!

     So I'm off to the garden center this weekend and will surely run into other gardeners who are determined, like myself, to have some color even under the hottest of circumstances. We won't be able to duplicate the easy-going successes we've had during the other seasons, but we are, evidently, willing to try.

Optimistically Yours,

Today I'm linking to:

Wow Us Wednesdays 

Outdoor Wednesdays

Thursday's Favorite Things

Ruby Tuesday 2

Friday Follow Over 40

Fertilizer Friday