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We’re just emerging from a brutal heatwave. Whew. This one was fierce. If it weren’t for air-conditioning I’d be a blob of melted flesh in migraine hell. I’m acutely aware of how heat affects me and I’m so grateful for everything that allows me to keep cool.

This got me to thinking about how the garden must cope when subjected to the stress of a heatwave. Do they sense when the temperatures are going to spike? I imagine they’re in better shape to deal with it if up until that time they’re provided with adequate water and decent soil conditions. Just as in humans, all other living things must face adversity better when they’re healthy. So, I figured my garden ought to at least be grateful for all the tender, loving care it receives all year round. Well, except when I’m on vacation, unwell, in the thick of other work or, being lazy. In general, the garden this year has little to complain about its human carers.

A timely thundershower just ahead of the heatwave saturated the ground handsomely. The roots must’ve plumped out and fed their above ground parts nicely. I was glad I’d deadheaded and cut back some vigorous growers recently. A round of weeding was accomplished as well. Therefore, at the end of the first super hot day, things did not look too bad. Some plants such as the Joe Pye appeared to droop but by late evening they perked up. I wonder if the roots slow down and measure out the water/nutrient supply when conditions are adverse. Then, when they sense that temperatures have dropped below the dangerous numbers, do they speeds up in damage control mode? Or, like me, do the plants have poor appetites when it is so hot? Perhaps when I’ve overcome my own heat related ennui I will research this matter – surely some laboratory must be studying the subject. The results could potentially help us deal with weather related challenges better.

I noticed that during the heatwave, there wasn’t much critter activity. I didn’t see many bees or butterflies and the birds seemed to be limiting their flights and singing. The heat brought on a quiet that seemed appropriate. I too was not inclined to exert much energy. The languor connected us all.

The potted plants received water daily. The high humidity kept the ground from drying out but, the soil in the pots dried out. Those plants must have been stressed so much more than their counterparts in the ground. A friend had dropped off two pots of sizable hibiscus a couple of days prior to the heatwave. Until now, they had always been kept indoors so the fact that they were suddenly out in the open must’ve been a shock. Despite being watered, within a day, the leaves on top were wiped out – they got totally dry. So ahead of the canicular days, they were given a cut back and moved to shadier quarters resembling the indoors they were familiar with. Fingers-crossed they will toughen up in due course. After all, they hail originally from warmer climes.

Given water regularly, the vertical garden and tropicals ( in pots) like the jasmine, gardenia and citrus seem unscathed by the high heat. The perfume of the flowers of the jasmine and gardenia are almost overpowering at the beginning and end of day. The lemons are coming along nicely. The pelargoniums have also come through very well. Ditto the tomatoes – we enjoyed the first crop of cherry tomatoes over the weekend. And the meadow looks none the worse for wear.

Any long term effect of the heatwave will no doubt make itself known. I’m hoping there won’t be any. And with any luck there will not be any more heatwaves either. But, I’m not holding my breath.

Note: I would love to see you at the reception to Small Works at The Stable Gallery, Ridgefield, NJ on August 8. 7:00 – 9:00pm. The show runs August 2 – 29.

(c) 2019 Shobha Vanchiswar

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