Where Have All The Flowers Gone? Some people have just given up and planted Plastic Flowers.  As hot as our July was, I am not at all sure that was even safe.  Some days were hot enough to melt plastic.  After the hottest July on record, I wondered around town to see what was still blooming.  This is not a controlled experiment.  Some of these flowers are in public businesses and parks.  Some have been cared for by professionals.  I don't know the history of most of these flowers.  All I can say is July was very hot, many flowers have fried and I found these that survived.

Planted In-Ground

I think it is easier to take care of flowers in the ground than in containers.  The good news is that they don't dry out as fast.  Their roots have more room to spread out.  They have more chance to get bigger.  The bad news is that it is harder to weed them and deadhead.  Mulching will hold in moisture and hold down weeds.  A garden cart and/or knee pads can help get you down to deadhead.

	The most successful blossoms in ground I have seen in full sun have been petunia and geranium.  Don't know for sure if it is that they are easier to grow or it is just that more of these have been planted than anything else.  Petunia and Geranium are very reliable, given a fair chance with a little water.
	Sweet Potato Vines have exploded all over the place.  They have loved the heat.  Both lime and purple have grown very large in the ground, in containers, in window boxes.  I have mostly seen this in full sun, but it has succeeded in part sun as well.   I have seen this more often than anything else.  One risk with the Sweet Potato Vine is that Japanese Beetles love it.  In a bad beetle year they can be shredded.
	Impatiens have an unfair advantage.  Growing in the shade is about 10 degrees cooler than in full sun.  A little bit of water now and then and Impatiens hold up to any heat wave.
	Tropicals are always a good bet in heat.  Angle Trumpets growing in full sun are very large.  Blossoms smell wonderful at night.
	Red Salvia is growing in part sun.  Western exposure gives it the hot afternoon sun.  I have never grown these, but George tells me hummingbirds like his.
	Marigolds with a Western Exposure take the heat.  Survive in full sun as well.  These are known as a butterfly favorite.
	Celosias grown in full sun.
	I expected moss roses to do better than this.  Then again, maybe conditions here were so harsh that nothing else would still be standing in this spot.
	Doesn't look like these Gerber Daisies got too much pampering.  Growing in a Southern Exposure.  They got a lot of sun.  Gerber Daisies do not like too much water.  Don't start too early with them as they don't like cold and wet.
	I have always heard that Zinnias love the heat.  These are real beauties.  Again, they hate cold wet weather so don't start too early with them and be sure you have good drainage.
	Cleome, Spider Flower, can hold up in the heat.  Self seeding, these blossoms will "walk" around your garden for years.

Grown In Containers

Flowers grown in containers are easier to reach than those on the ground, but take more care.  They need more pruning, deadheading and shaping.  They need more food and water as they will get root bound.  You have to be more responsive to them as they can wilt quickly.  However, they are less demanding than hanging baskets.  You can get them closer to eye level where you can see detail.  You can put them where you want them and move them when you want to.  Whenever possible, use the biggest container you can and fill it as full of plants as you can.  Even crowded, bigger containers have less surface to mass area and do not dry out as fast.  Always have drainage.

	These are winners.  Purple Fountain Grass, Sweet Potato Vine, Petunia and Verbena.  This display survived the heat and looks abundant going into fall.  These are even good fall colors.  Someone planned well.
	Caladiums and coleus thrived in the heat.  They didn't start getting big until it got hot.  These get a couple of hours of sun in the morning.  I mixed blood meal in the potting soil when I planted and they sure do seem to like that.  But be warned.  They both hate cold, wet weather.  This is a wonderful year for Coleus and Caladium.  But if you depend on them heavily and we get a cold, wet year, or if you plant them too early in the spring, you may be disappointed.
	Petunias do well in containers.  They are more difficult in baskets.  They do take maintenance to keep them looking abundant.  Some people don't like to prune and dead head them as they are sticky to the touch.
	This Black & Blue Salvia is growing in a very large container.  It grows tall.  You might not even notice the blossoms from the street.  But my hummingbirds know exactly where they are and visit them several times a day.  Black & Blue Salvia is one of my top three hummingbird flowers.
	Begonia is growing in deep shade.  Facing East they may get some morning sun.  Begonia can take a lot as long as you give them plenty of water.
	Keep Coleus full by pinching and deadheading.  Might want to go ahead and let them bloom late in the season.  I watched a hummingbird feeding at blossoms last fall.
	Dipladenia and Mandevilla are vines that will spill out of containers and baskets.  They can be trained to grow up a trellis.  As a tropical, they are at home with the heat.
	Gardenmeister fuchsia is the most important flower in my garden.  My hummingbirds look for them in the same pot every year.  This flower grows in part shade.  Takes the heat and is free of trouble.  I would grow it for my birds, even if it was not pretty.
	Again, tropical plants can be depended on in the heat.  This shrimp plant was new to my garden this year and the hummingbirds found it right away.  They love it.
	Vinca is growing in full sun.  This is another that will rot in cold, wet soil.  Be sure you have good drainage and don't start with it until it is warm.  This lady does a lovely job with everything she does every year.

Baskets Still Hanging

I think growing flowers in hanging baskets is the hardest form of gardening.  But they are so lovely.  With the pot suspended in the air and air circulating all around they dry out faster than ground plantings or containers on the ground.  They demand more attention.