getting really tired of this heat too, Christie. I know we've lost some things. A 5 yr old rhododendron, for one. Not sure about the Washington hawthorn in the front yard, and I know there are perennials, that are gonners. Some of the younger hostas have disappeared, I'm hoping they have just gone dormant and will come back with fall rain. If there is any.

One area in my front yard is just dirt now, I plan to reseed this month. It's usually better to reseed in the fall, mid September if we have any of those fall rains. Ha.

I'm pretty sure I lost a couple of conifers, not sure about the astilbes. Some of them have died clear back to the ground, and that was with watering. I'm pretty sure it was the heat that done 'em in. Spring will tell. I know I am ready for fall and winter, and I usually never say that. I just don't want to look at the sad burned plants any more.

But on the other hand, the mums look great, the asters are fine, and I just bought some more small starter mums today. Two for a dollar at Lowe's, and they were fresh off the truck so I got my pick of colors. And three Dixie wood ferns off the sale rack, they were mostly dormant but still alive for $1.50. I may go back and get the other 4 or 5 that were left. And I'm working on a fall hosta order. I just I'm just an eternal optimist, either that or dumb as a box of rocks, haha!

Sandy

And there is the Greater Ozarks Hosta Society auction this weekend in Springfield, I won't miss that!

I know some plants will die back then return the next spring but I can't recall ever having a hosta do that. I hope they do. One of mine that I grew from seed a few years ago has disappeared. It had pretty yellowish leaves. It was looking bad by early August and now it doesn't have any leaves at all. sniff None of my others are completely gone but they look like heck. Last summer my Canadian Ginger disappeared then came back in the spring. Hope it does it again because there's definitely no sign of it right now.
I know at least one of my painted ferns is still alive. I forgot to check the others. I have bad luck with ferns. Dixie Wood Fern sounds familiar. That may be one I killed in the past.

I'm happy that my Pink Champagne currant that I planted last year is still alive. I don't think those like heat.
I planted it on the east side of my shed so it would get some shade. Since it made it through this awful summer, maybe I will get some berries someday.

Let us know what you find at the auction Mosswitch and what new things are getting everyones' attention. I'd like to hear what the highest bids are for.

It is 107� on the back porch and the sensor is out of the sun. I do think the heat off the concrete porch reflects it but it is darned out out there today!

I am so ready for summer to be gone. I have watered some and let some go so I may loose a few things. Even with watering some of the shrubs wilt in this heat.

I have lost interest in gardening for the year! I am doing some early clean-up but that is it.

I can't help you with the lawn....if you could see mine you would understand. I have no luck with grass.....at all.

Well, the compost pile is working like crazy since I contribute every day and keep it watered. But it seems all I do out there is water water water. And oh yes, water. I'm picking mostly green tomatoes and bringing them in to ripen. The bottom 2/3 of my tomato plants are crispy and look bad, but the tops are green and flowering. I've found three tobacco worms in them so far. Broke down and watered the grass last evening. Keeping water in birdbaths for birds and squirrels -- haven't seen a lot of birds, however.
SURELY this dryness will end soon!
Sunny

Well, it's a beautiful day today. Let's hope it stays! I'm VERY ready for fall/winter but I DO say that every year.

I'm from Florida and this weather is like months in Florida only it's more humid down there. I moved up here to get away from the heat, dangit!

Anyway, I've been having a good time in my garden lately. I found some perennial vinca and sedums on clearance at Lowes, got them in the ground, and have been thoroughly enjoying just doing maintenance. I guess it's the mulch I had put down but my garden is looking great. The grass looks horrible but the garden is thriving. I'm excited about finding buds on my new aster plant too.

I also lucked up and happened to plant my tomatoes along the fence side where my neighbor's sprinkler hits so they get watered by that (I'd been wondering why my tomatoes were looking so good before I figured this out). If I ever get any 'maters I'll share "our" harvest with them and tell them why. :D

What a big weather change from Tuesday to Wednesday. My dash said 103 Tuesday afternoon although I don't know if it was actually that hot. The wind was cold yesterday afternoon and it had dropped down into the fifties when I checked the temp. I was making sure we didn't have a frost warning. Not yet but I guess it won't be long.

The butterflies are just about gone here. I saw several Buckeyes this week but only a couple Swallowtails. I released three Monarchs yesterday afternoon after it quit raining. They didn't fly very far. It was too cold. I'm hoping they'll still be around the yard today when it warms up. I have eight more that should emerge soon and be on their way to Mexico. I'm going to try again to winter over my Tropical Milkweed. It didn't make any seeds to save.

We got about a half inch of rain yesterday. Yay! The rain that hit Springfield a few days ago missed us completely so that's the first rain we've gotten in quite awhile. It was very welcome.

Got to pick up walnuts soon. One of my trees gets water because I have hostas under it but the walnuts look smaller than normal to me. I think the heat was hard on those too.

How nice of your neighbor to water your tomatoes for you Teeandcee. lol Hopefully you'll have a better crop next year and plenty to share.

We got about 1/3 out of that rain. I am happy to report we got an inch last night and early this morning. I hope it isn't finished yet!

We had nearly 4 inches today, and now it's raining again! But one of my friends on the west side of Joplin got over 6 inches today! Amazing! Lovin' it! 90% chance forecast for tomorrow morning, too!

Sandy

Christie,we drove to Marionville yesterday and it rained hard and heavy all the way down and back so I am assuming you got good rains too.

All total now we have had 3.33 inches. Whoopee!

Helen may be washed out down in the Joplin area.

Sandy I don't know your location but you got more than us.
I think the total for yesterday was around 2 inches.

Counting the half inch we got Wednesday, my grand total was around 3 inches, a little less than some of you but that's ok. We sure needed it. I almost don't mind the mud that the dogs tracked in. It's especially nice that it came down slowly for the most part and got a chance to soak in. Finally we get to put the hoses away for the year.

I have a few things I need to plant, my cardinal flower seedlings and a few others that I winter sowed and never planted, some little shrubs that are potted up on my patio, and I need to put my pipevine seedlings into larger pots. Those things have really started growing the last month or so. I'm not sure if want to plant them in the ground. I don't want them to take over. It's a. microphylla. I guess I need a giant fence at the back of our field where I can just plant all the vines that I want never worry about how big they will get.

We are just off exit 6 (S. Main)north of I-44 in Joplin. We have had 4 1/4 inches so far. My friend with the 6"+ is close to the Kansas state line, about 5 miles from us. Lot of difference in a short distance.

I moved a couple of pots and things last night tho, and the ground was powder dry underneath them. The drought isn't over yet.

I live about 20 miles south of Sandy (mosswitch). I talk about Joplin because that is where my friend lives. I shop there and buy plants and pots etc. there. My rain gauge had about 3 inches in it. That is enough for now. My ditch starts running like a creek at about 6 inches if it comes down fast. At the end of May I had 5 gallon buckets almost full from rain within a week's time. How many inches would that be? I hope it keeps raining but this much will change my mood for planting and working in the garden.

We got more rain and ended up with 4 inches total. We are northwest of Willard, Mo about 5 miles, about 20 miles northwest of Springfield.

We still have water standing in the lane that runs through the middle of the farm.

I need to get back outside now and start cleaning off the kitchen garden. I may have a few peppers left and lots of green tomatoes. I will leave them until the last minute before frost.

The yard has already greened up some. Rain is a wonderful thing.

I need to shop for a small flowering tree to plant where we cut the Elm tree. I think I will make that the birdbath bed.

I don't want to pay Wickman's $250 for one either! I wonder if Lowe's has any fall things in yet... Any suggestions for a reasonably priced nursery will be appreciated. I saw one on the south side of the road near or in Republic when we went to Marionville, but it was pouring rain.

I was at Lowe's yesterday. They do have some fall things but I didn't look at trees, I was after top soil. Again.I did get a couple of evergreen shrubs, a Golden Globe arborvitae and a Blue Star juniper.

Lots of mums, asters and shrubs. Gayle has some nice trees at Ozark Nursery, not sure what she has for flowering trees tho.

No more rain here but the ground is still moist after last weekend. Love the nice balmy temperatures.
Sandy

I planted two trees last spring - dwarf pie cherries. One was bare root - ordered on line months before sent at the right time for my area. One was balled and wrapped and in a large pot from Lowe's. I think the ordered tree is doing the best and going to make it after this terrible summer. So Glenda if you can't find what you want I would consider a small bare root from a reliable mail order nursery. Sometimes the little whip grows better than the potted big plant. None of them are cheap.

Wickman Gardens had a sale last October on trees, I think they were 40 or 50 percent off. Planting was also at a big discount so I had them plant the trees. That was the first time I had anyone plant trees for me.
I bought a maple, Red October I think, a Gingko, and a Kousa dogwood.

This year I have four big bushes waiting to be planted, Autumn Jazz viburnum, Red Rocket crepe myrtle, and two kinds of lilacs. I sure wouldn't mind having someone do it for me...

Well, I checked out Lowe's. The had one red crabapple, but the height was listed at 25' and DH thinks that is too tall. Our power lines cross the drive nearby and after that last ice storm we are wary of where we place trees.

Helen, I did find a nursery in Jefferson City that I think I am going to try, Missouri Wildflowers Nursery. They carry natives and I like that idea very much.

I may order a red buckeye, a lindera benzoin, a service berry and a few other things....none requiring pruning or deadheading! They are $8.50 and $10.50 for a 2.5 gallon pot which will be small but that also means I can dig a smaller hole! I agree that whips often do better than larger trees that have spent a long time in a pot.

They also have that Golden Current that I think I remember you have. Is it as fragrant as they say?

Golden Current is a favorite spring fragrance. The fragrance is heavenly but its bloom time is brief. My crab apple by the barn has taken a long time to get big but I wouldn't want it under wires. There are crab apples that stay small and spreading. In a sheltered place Japanese Maple is almost like a blooming tree. I have never had a big one but I admire them in other peoples' yards. There was one in Neosho on Oak Ridge Drive that had beautiful pink new leaves in spring as brilliant as any blooming tree. That tree was there for years because it was on my way to church and I saw it every spring.

I have purchased plants from Missouri Wildflower Nursery in the past and was pleased with them, but not mail order. I got mine when they were set up at Buffalo days at Prairie State Park, but I am sure you get the same quality plants if you order. Seems like they are always sold out of what I want, tho.

I planted golden currant in the woods garden this spring that I got from No Dept of Conservation, so I don't know how well they will grow, but they did survive the summer with no water. Kind of scraggly but still alive, which says something for them!

I said I wasn't going to buy anymore plants....then I saw these at Lowe's and the blue was so brilliant that I couldn't resist. Also they were swarming with flying insects.

Caryopteris 'First Choice'

It had bees on it yesterday. I don't have it in the ground yet, but I know where to put it and that is half the battle.

I love blue flowering plants. I would have been tempted too. I got another good rain but don't know how much. Did I dump the rain gauge last time? I don't think so. I either got 3.75 inches or .75 inches. I think it is the latter. When the weatherman gives you a slight chance of rain and you get a good rain that is a sign the drought pattern may have changed. In a drought 40% chance = 2 or 3 drops. Thanks for the picture.

I tried to grow caryopteris from seed once and failed. The species gets pretty big which I don't really want anyway. The description for First Choice says it only gets to be about two feet tall. Confession - I had to go to Lowe's yesterday afternoon to buy some paint and while I was waiting for them to mix it, I killed time in the Lawn and Garden area and looked at the clearance stuff and then those bright blue flowers caught my eye. So - I rewarded myself for all my hard work painting yesterday. : ) It had a couple bumblebees on it that didn't want to leave. It took me a few tries brushing them off to get them to go the the other plants that were still on the table. I think they were drunk.
Mosswitch - I'm glad you posted about the toughness of Golden Currant. I have one in a pot I need to plant and that helps me decide where to put it. I wasn't sure whether it would compete with tree roots well. Helen can you believe I kept that thing alive? I did - plus two starts of another shrub but I have forgotten what it is. My Onondaga planted in the ground suffered this summer with the heat and drought so I'm afraid to ask it your little one made it.

Glenda - Have you decided on a tree yet? Heptacodium (Seven Son Flower) stays small. I don't know if you could find one locally though. I have another crape myrtle volunteer I need to dig up in the spring that will need a home. It will likely be more of a shrub rather than a tree. If you got a named cold hardy crape myrtle, you might be able to keep it in a tree form.

The shrub you sent is still alive although the leaves look a little ratty. I have it in a pot but need to get it in the ground now that our weather is milder. One I sent you was calycanthus.

Here is a link that might be useful: calycanthus

Hmm - not sure Helen. I need to go out and look at it again and will let you know.

I believe the other shrub is deutzia Helen. It looks pretty good and has grown since you sent it. There's more than one limb coming up from the pot and I can't tell if there's just one in there or two. I'll be able to tell when I plant it. It was the calycanthus that lost its leaves, then leafed out again, then lost its leaves a second time. I'm going to plant it anyway and see if it leafs out again either this fall or in the spring. You never know.

I'm missing two perennial geraniums that I hope aren't dead, Rozanne and Dragon Heart. : ( Dragon Heart was new this year but Rozanne I'd had for a couple years. Stupid hot weather. Hope I can find my receipt from Hilltop if Dragon Heart doesn't come back. The variegated silene I bought there doesn't show any signs of life either. I was so careful to keep stuff watered this summer. I hate asking for replacements but I'd like to try both of those again. Surely next summer won't be as bad as this one.

When I dug up your calycanthus it was all tangled together and I couldn't get a big start. I ended up with several branches with roots that I kept. I had those in a pot but not close enough to water. Mine died. I did send a small dwarf deutzia start.

If Lowes has sale plants this year when the Christmas trees come, I'm going to get more crepe myrtle. They can take our summers. I have given up on making them tree shaped after last Feb. They shot up from the bottoms and bloomed like a perennial at three feet or so.

Yesterday I glanced over at one of my potted blueberries and thought it was blooming but it turned out to be a tiny crape myrtle that had sprouted in the pot. It's only five or six inches tall and has one sprig no bigger than a toothpick and it's blooming! It's a very light lavender and if it makes it through the winter, I think I will plant it out since it's a different color than what I have. To give away - I have one crape myrtle that's been potted all summer and one growing by my front porch that needs to be dug up. Neither of those have bloomed yet so I don't know what color they will be. I think they're both seedlings from Acoma but can't be sure. I can save you one Helen. I wouldn't plant or move a crape myrtle in the fall though. I think it would be better to plant them in the spring so they have some time to get established before winter.
All my crape myrtles except Acoma died back to the ground after our last winter. Acoma is by our west foundation so it gets some protection. They all grew back and bloomed pretty good without any water. I didn't cut out the dead branches like I should've.

I tried that with a crepe myrtle one year, Helen. It drove me nuts, always sprouting, every day it seemed. I love the look but hate the work.

Christie, let us know how Hilltop responds....I am a little wary of them.

My Acomas you gave me are still growing, no blooms yet, despite my failure to water them very much.

I have started crepe myrtles by cuttings before; it was a long time ago. I am lazy these days. After frost crepe myrtles look like dead sticks and are often on sale. At last we are getting some good weather. My tomatoes are covered in blooms a little too late. I didn't cut out my shrub tops either. Lots of my shrubs have dead branches still in them.

I don't know for sure whether Hilltop even has a one year warranty on perennials. I've never tried to return anything there. Maybe if I spend a bunch of money that will help. lol I wouldn't go anywhere else for hanging baskets. It's just a home business so they will eventually retire and I'll miss that place.
Are your crape myrtles in full sun Glenda? I thought they should be big enough to bloom now. Typically crape myrtles bloom young but Acoma is a cross of two species and I don't know if that's true of all types of crape myrtle. I hope they're worth waiting for when they do bloom.