Let us dance in the sun, wearing wild flowers in our hair. — Susan Polis Schutz, American poet, film-maker
How they dance in the courtyard, sweet summer sweat. Some dance to remember, some dance to forget. — The Eagles, Hotel California
A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken. — James Dent, American author and sportswriter
Extreme heat has come upon us, requiring new strategies. Watering plants and lawns are best watered early morning and late afternoon, avoiding the scorching heat of direct sunlight. A few of our flowerbeds retain shade until the sun is directly overhead. Those beds need watering early. Watering the shady beds by leaving the water hose on the ground and letting the water soak into the soil and not on the plant itself is an option as long as you don’t forget to cut the water off as I often do. A few beds flourish more than the others with the early morning sun. If the sun feels gentle, I water them anytime otherwise they are watered as the sun sinks below the tree line. As for the potted plants, leaf wilt gets them a watering immediately and often daily. Watering at night is not optimal but sometimes necessary. Midday watering can cause some evaporation. Occasional deep root watering is beneficial. Top layer watering might miss the roots in extreme heat. It’s like juggling: Water here, water there; water now, water later.
Our gigantic hosta returns every year. This year some of her leaves were fading. A quick Google search revealed this was not due to watering too much or too little but was simply a sign of overexposure to the sun like a sunburn. The clay pot is heavy so I sought the dolly from the shed to move her to a shadier location. It was only after relocating her I noticed a long snake skin drifted from the dolly and landed at my feet. I took a moment to be thankful it wasn’t the snake itself and moved on to more heat related chores.
Besides plants, animals need attention in extreme temperatures especially Hatcher, the rabbit. Rabbits don’t fare well in heat. Hatcher has two water bottles to drink from and a plastic jug of frozen water. He can sidle up beside the cold jug and cool off. Attached on the sunny side of his hutch is a reflective sunscreen meant for car windshields. Outside the hutch is a small fan running on low. Hatcher has it made in the shade.
The cat, Wilhelmina, doesn’t mind the heat quite as much as everything else. She regularly finds a place in the sun, sprawls out, and takes a catnap. Just in case I’ve put water bowls in numerous locations and try to refill them frequently. Dipping a finger into the water bowl will reveal just how hot the water can get in a short period of time whether in the shade or not. I tossed in a few ice cubes but Wilhelmina is scared of ice cubes. Oh well, they won’t last long.
Our yard birds splash in the birdbaths each evening around four-o-clock as the day eases into night when we all find a bit of relief.
Shannon Bardwell is a writer living quietly in the Prairie. Email reaches her at [email protected].
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 42 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
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