Someone flicked a switch and we have wall-to-wall sunshine. Since we returned from England, the sun has shone daily, and it’s HOT. Summer (dare I say) has arrived! But with temperatures rising to 30 °C, it is now too hot to work in the garden. Yeah, I know. We’ve had months of rain and cold weather and we prayed for sun. We get sun and we’re still not happy.
Hydrangeas Grow Well in Pots
I love the yearly display of hydrangeas, but I am disappointed that the beautiful flowers only last a few weeks.
Oleanders
I love oleanders, but not everyone knows they are poisonous if eaten, and the fumes are toxic if you burn them. I do neither and just enjoy the plant as is.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6996654/
and
Strelitzia Nicolai
We were delighted to see that after many barren years, the Strelitzia Nicolai finally flowered—just one, but that’s okay.
Orchids
Honeysuckle
Over fifteen years ago, I took a cutting of a friend’s honeysuckle, which I admired. This is the first year it has really come into its own, not only flowering profusely but actually sending out an abundance of new shoots so we can hopefully conceal the ugly log pile and junk area, which we’ve dubbed the ‘technical area’
Pot Palms
For now I will call them pot palms. They have got posh names but I lost the labels yonks ago and the one in the huge blue pot I bought from my friend when, thanks to BREXIT, sold their holiday home and bought a mobile home in the UK.
Jobs for this week: Feed plants, plant tomato seeds and clear work bench area.
That’s my six for this Saturday—now Sunday. I am late posting because WP kept thwarting my attempt to upload photographs. Does anyone else experience this problem?
Do pop over to Jim’s blog for more Six on Saturday garden bloggers.
Piglet in Portugal 
I wish I could grow such gorgeous hydrangeas! They would never survive here in a pot.
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Hi Bernie, considering I cut them down to stumps just a few months ago when I repotted them I am surprised how well they have recovered.
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Your Hydrangeas are beautiful, though I’d hate to have to keep track of watering them. One of my daughters lives in the US and I planted some for her in 2023 (well, hubby did the hard work!) and even though they were well watered, and there’s an irrigation system they flopped to the ground with the heat and stayed there. You’re doing so well to keep them looking as good as they are!
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Thanks Catherine. Fortunately it is not too hot at the moment. The temps have dropped and they they are happy 🙂 Once July /Aug comes with the intense heat the flower heads will be finished blooming (in theory) unless we have some freak temperatures in the meantime
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Oh, all of these are very special. The Strelitzias and the Orchids really put on a show. And I was thinking what Chloris was thinking about your potted Hydrangeas. My Hydrangeas are in the ground, and they still droop and whine when the temps are in the 30sC/85F+. We (here in the Upper Midwest U.S.) were about 29C here today, and it was OK for gardening…in the morning and late in the day. But, yes, I think the optimal temps for gardening are about 14-27C. I hope we’ll both have some perfect gardening weather in the days ahead. 🙂
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Hi Beth, I should also add the Hydrangeas grow in partial shade. Tehy don’t get full miday/afternoon sun and are sheltered by the hedge.
Your hydrangeas sound like me. 🙂
As for perfect weather we are about to be hit by a heatwave! Just seen a weather warning.
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Beautiful garden, Carole. I always love when someones turns on the Sunshine Switch. Magical!
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Thank you, Donna. After months of unsettled cold weather that’s what it felt like. One minute winter woollies and the next it’s shorts and t-shirts.
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Just in case you didn’t know…The Strelizia Nicoli can grow huge… As tall as a tree with a girth to match.
The flowers attract all sorts. The one we had regularly attracted sunbirds.
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Hi Ark, laughing. Yes, it was orgoinally in a concrete pot and when we were on vacation one year we returned to find the original baby’s roots cracked the pot. We divided that plant into threee. The ones you see here are some of the babies. They have plenty of room to grow, thank goodness!
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Too dry here for the hydrangeas but the oleanders love it! It´s a matter of finding the plants that thrive, I keep on searching 🙂
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Hi Anna, I am surprised the hydrangeas do so well but I do grow them in mostly shady area with limited sun during the hottest part of the day. I think that works well. I loved your calum lilies and now have a pot and they are doing well. We will see 🙂
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Pretty blooms! Your Strelitzia Nicolai is a new one for me, it’s gorgeous!
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Hi Candi. when I bought it about 15 years ago I thought it was a banana plant LoL
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All of these plants are common in South Texas, but not here in Canada. I continue to marvel at your dedication to maintaining such diverse gardens, Carole.
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Thanks Terry. As you can see the garden is my passion and keeps me active.
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It’s a good passion and your beautiful results show your dedication, Carole
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I agree with Chloris, these potted hydrangeas are so beautiful , but on the other hand they must be very water-hungry. Have you installed an automatic watering system here too? Bravo for the strelitzia, a plant that I don’t have here yet, despite a number of exotics…
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Hi Fred, all the pots are thirsty so it is a combination of irrigation topped up with disgarded water from the house such as from showers and dehunidifiers. In the summer I utilise every drop of water. 🙂
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Goodness, hydrangeas in pots in your climate must take a lot of watering. You have lovely exotic plants to enjoy. I have a couple of oleanders in pots here but they need your sort of sun to bloom well.
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Hi Chloris, they are on a drip watering system every other day just for a couple of minutes and then I top up with water I save in the house such as water collected from showers, dehumidifiers etc etc. I also feed them well in early spring to boost the soil. These both were replanted with compost and manure so they are happy.
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