Central Texas bounced through spring, skipping over late May and June, and landed, smack dab, in July. Or so it seems when venturing outdoors. It’s hot here, hotter than it should be in late spring, and hotter than this perspiring gardener prefers. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the heat–in July, August, and I’ll even tolerate it for some of September. But as the temps creep ever closer, day-by-day, toward 100F / 38C (in the forecast for the next few days), this toasty trend heralds the coming of the The Long Hot of summer here in Austin.
The heat is a little early for my taste, but as the saying goes: Everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.
These Rock rose, Pavonia lasiopetala, are also hot, hot, hot, but in the pink sort of way. I’m certainly not complaining about them.
Most of my Rock rose began blooming toward the end of April and are still pinking-up the garden. I’ll prune them in the next few weeks as they bloom best on new wood. They’ll continue to flower in our hot weather and with minimal water, but the flowers will close in mid-afternoon to conserve moisture.
We all hunker down in the heat.
Rock rose mix nicely with other early summer bloomers, like Big red sage, Salvia penstemonoides, and Yarrow, Achillea millefolium.
This little guy looks like he’s waiting for me to leave, so that he can enjoy his breakfast of petals or leaves.
I prefer seeing this little gal.
Summer has arrived: time to don hats, slather sunscreen, gulp water, enjoy (or tolerate) the heat,
…and value the flowers of summer.