Hi! I'm a new gardener, just started last year. I guess I picked the wrong time because the heat is really really bad for plants! We had rain at the end of june so I wouldn't really call it a drought...but the 100 degree temps are making certain plants just shrivel up & turn brown. "Mulching" is really not enough...maybe if I stuck an umbrella over these plants? A mini-fridge? Nahh...I don't think so, because I plant the garden & not the other way round. I'm not wasting time coddling high-maintenance plants...whatever doesn't make it, I will just plant something else in the spot next year!

I would like to hear from others about which plants have tolerated the heat and which ones haven't. As for me, my Encore Azalea (which is supposed to tolerate sun as well as shade) doesn't look as if it will make it. (The spot is sunny now, but I'm hoping it will be shady when the nearby tree grows more.)

I also see that the viburnums are turning brown around the edges. I thought native plants were more hardy?? Hydrangea is also looking pathetic. Several weeks ago I planted an astilbe in a shady spot, and even that was starting to crisp up. The coneflowers (planted about 6 wks ago) are just about hopeless.

I planted some blazing stars and these guys are gorgeous, just like the picture, and they show no signs of wilting. So far the Rose of Sharon and the crepe myrtle are hanging in there.

I wish plants had a heat rating as well as a cold rating.