The grass in the yards around here in our part of the society are OK looking because it's quite shady (in the inner city and lots of street trees, etc.). But the minute you go somewhere with a lot of sun, it's a sea of brown.

My partner loves the grass and we, too, set the mower high to cut those stupid plantain stalks down.

Garden is fine though because watering is my partner's little hobby! I have finally trained him on how to do it properly!

My hubby's the one that normally does the watering of the roses and bushes... I water the lilies and wildflower garden though as he doesn't want to have to stand there holding the hose.

Speaking of heat... it's almost 1am here and it's 83 degrees but feels like 87!!! :-O Our normal high here this time of year is in the mid 80's and the low is usually 60... tonight's low is supposed to be 73 but I don't think it's going to get down that low... I think I might have to go out and do a rain dance to get the rain that is so desperately needed here.

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Cheryl.

My grass is totally browned and crisped! I have to water my flowers every day but so many things have been affected. My Elderberry shrub was covered with berries but I notice they are shriveling up and falling off now..same with my blueberries...there is just too much to keep watered. This past week of 100 degree heat is just the last straw..everything is now turning to straw!

I hear you! Green grass makes the gardens look so much nicer. I have irrigation in my flower gardens, but not the lawn. Maybe some rain this weekend.

I am in central PA and the description of our lawn and garden matches Cheryl.

I keep all the pots watered and the annuals I mixed with the perennials. The daylily blooms look okay but the leaves are not very nice on many. I watered a few of my very favorite and I could tell a difference this morning.

We are in a rural area, and the cornfields around us look like the stalks are twisting (like they are trying to wring out a drop of moisture for the roots). My veggie garden is watered once a week, but deeply. The weatherman said maybe some showers, but they are hit or miss. We need a good, slow steady rain for a day or two.

Pray for rain. Jane

Yes, it is HOT here, too. Tuesday=101; Wednesday=102; today, we get a break and it will be only 95.

Cottage pinks are toast. I don't think I can revive 90% of it.

Heuchera, living happily for 4 years looks like toast, too. I may dig it up today to try resuscitation in the shade--there goes my nice purple heuchera (5 plants) edging and the gold jenny all around it-- right by my front porch.

I was up at 5:30 am watering the garden. It was still in the 80s last night at 8:00 pm.

Do a rain dance.
Wash you car (that makes it rain, right?)
Pray for rain.

Cameron

I think all of us in Pa (and surrounding states) are all in the same boat. No rain for over 3 weeks at my house and there's only a slim chance of a passing thunderstorm in the forecast. I'll take what I can get but it probably won't do much good. Right now I'm watering every day (alternating parts of the garden).

I tried a rain dance on monday (washed my car) and today I'm trying another one (hanging wash out) - one of these things is bound to work sooner or later! I'm shocked we're not on a water ban yet...it's bound to happen sooner or later though. Next year I hope to have rain barrels installed, although I'd need to drain a swimming pool if we get into this weather pattern again next year. At least I don't think I've lost any plants (yet).

Praying for Rain,
~Andrea (near Allentown)

Another person from PA chiming in. It really has been brutal. I checked and the last time we had anything beyond a quick passing thundershower was June 13th. I can't even remember the last thundershower. Most days precipitation has been at 0.0 in. We are still under an excessive heat warning. My 6-year-old started day camp on June 22nd, and has had half days due to the excessive heat every day except for 2.

I'm also doing a rain dance here! This entire year has been brutal from a weather standpoint. First record-breaking snowfall, now record-breaking heat. It's crazy that the low 90's feels like a break, but I'm appreciating it after hitting 103 yesterday and 102 the day before.

For once, I'm appreciating the drought-tolerant zoysia grass I inherited when I bought this house. It's still green.

Lisa

Well we can't compete with PA on temps but the hot+no rain is here too. It is the 4th day in a row of mid 90's which is rare for us. Sunday when I heard the forecast I watered all day, moving the hose around to deep soak each bed. The flower beds are pretty stuffed so there is no exposed soil which helped some. Last evening I broke down and watered the lawn which I normally never do. I was in our pool at midnight last night. With just old fashion fans for cooling the house the pool is a refuge. My poor DH is a mailman. I worry about him. He has been going through a gallon+ jug of ice water a day out on the route plus the extra on lunch and brakes. When he gets home his shirt is soaked to the waist with sweat. I feel for our garden flowers and all the humans who have to work outside in this.

I'm in South Jersey and our lawn is brown too and my new plants aren't happy. My gardens are all new and I am watering a lot. We haven't mowed the lawn in 3 weeks because it's not growing.

I hope it rains for a few days in a row.

Brown crispy lawn here in Downingtown PA. The veg garden is doing well, we have been deep watering every weekend. The flower beds look awful, I am only watering new plants, it's survival of the fittest. I've been doing the rain dance as well, I even left my car windows and sunroof open when I saw it start to cloud up, but nooooooo, it didn't rain a drop.

Carol

I was rain dancing today and no rain here either - it went east before it broke out. I guess oh well I'm glad I watered some this week anyway.

This is the tedious part of gardening - nothing beats the improvement from a good inch rain.

We have broken those brutal high temps here, but it's dry always one my hilltop. Maybe we can do a collective rain dance - I'm in.

I figured there were a lot of people in the Northeast suffering from the high temps and no rain... my lilies aren't as big or as pretty as I expected and my poor neighbor's gardens aren't nearly as lush and colorful as last year... it's a shame really.

Didn't realize there were that many on here that close to where I live... I noticed one of you was from near Allentown... that's only about half an hour or so from me. We're in Oley... or rather halfway between Oley and Yellow House.

My hubby has been working outside in this heat as well and I worry about him because he's got heart problems. We have our own HVAC company and he's been installing air conditioners this whole past week as well as servicing those that can't handle the extra load. I keep in touch with him throughout the day making sure to "nag" him about drinking enough to replenish what he sweats out although he's usually pretty good about it.

My raindance worked!! At least a little anyways... it rained here early this evening for a total of about 20 minutes... about an eighth of an inch... just enough to tease the plants and make it even more humid than it already was... oh well... sposed to be in the upper 70's this Saturday with rain forecast for the whole day.. let's hope its a sloooow steady rain that does indeed last the whole day... two days would be better but I guess I'll take what we get.

I hope everyone is doing their best to keep cool on these hot days and not overdoing it out in the garden.

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Cheryl.

Wow Cheryl, my daughter went to Kutztown University and I traveled through Oley and Yellow House many times. We also have friends over in Douglassville and head up that way occasionally. Every time we come to the intersection in Yellow House, my husband wants to get out and paint the house purple or something. He thinks it would be funny. Seriously, I really love the area you live in.

Andrea, are you familiar with New Tripoli, up further on Rt 309? We spend a lot of time in that area. We started camping and hiking along the Appalachian Trail over 30 years ago and head up that way often.

Carol

I finally broke down and started mowing early Thursday morning at 9am. The front yard was a sea of white clover, I loved it and so did the resident bunny! But there was the buckhorn too; when rain was predicted for Friday(today) I decided to risk mowing it off.

This morning I woke up to a gentle rain falling, and it's still raining. Hooray. It still feels warm and humid though.

From what I hear we could be in for a nice 1 inch-all day rain tomorrow (I'm praying it comes true!!)

I am familar with both Oley and New Tripoli. I live in Nazareth and work in Bethlehem. I have coworkers that live in the Oley area and my neighbor used to ride horses in New Tripoli when we were little. I used to live in Whitehall Township which is pretty close to there too.

Such a small world :)

I can hear thunder as I'm typing this and I checked the local radar... looks like we're going to get a good lengthy shower quite soon... hubby too broke down and did some mowing... although he didn't actually cut any grass.. just the seed heads of the narrow leaf plantain.. which means he was spreading all those seeds!! Oh well.. it's too dry for anything to grow really.

I think that would be quite funny if your hubby painted the Yellow House hotel purple!! Although he'd probably get into some trouble. hehe.... I live less than a mile from that intersection actually. :-D

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Cheryl.