crepe myrtle thrives

This week the heat has returned to Washington DC area and we had a couple more days of 100ºF and more! This time thunder storms have passed over us dumping hail and heavy rains. At least the garden watering is easier when it rains after a very hot spell of weather like this week gave us.Unfortunately the winds are causing to some of the taller flowers to bend at off kilter angles and lay out on the ground. The good news is that the new red crepe myrtle is happy with the heat and the rain. It sways in the wind and bends like a willow not harmed by the dance it does with the storm. They are blooming bright and red now and this is just the first year in the garden. I look forward to seeing the tree get taller and taller with bigger clusters of red flowers. Meanwhile this year it is looking really good. I am glad I finally got it in the ground. 

summer's bounty

Tree down with power poles and wires across the street from my apartment June 30th

Day lily sketch July 12th

Summer is really here in Washington DC. We had a storm at the end of June that set records for our area. Power was taken out by downed trees and power lines by a rain storm called a Derecho that began in Chicago and swept by WDC like a hurricane with 80-90 mile per hour winds and heavy rains and lightening strikes. More than half of all homes in the city lost power and many more in the suburbs north and south. Thousands many went without it for a week, my place was powerless for four days and the temperatures went soaring. In the garden in spite of the heat setting records with 12 days above 95ºF and a consecutive run of 4 days with temperature over 100ºF. I measured 114º on our back porch in the shade one afternoon as the outside temperature only rose to 105º. I escaped the heat and the lack of power by taking our frozen foods and driving out to Manassas for a few nights. I took a walk round the neighborhood and took a few pictures before I left to get an idea of how bad the storm was before I left.

Still the flowers grow and they bloom even in this amazing hot air. It's a bit of work to get out each day and take my walk and water those many patches of plants and trees in our gardens front and back yard. Some grand flowers bloom this time of year in our gardens. Many daylilies are reaching peak and then the Asian lilies bloom most favorite of all the Casa Blanca white tall lily which has numerous blooms.  The storm blew some of them into slanting postures but they are still pretty and with the heat outside I felt it was wise to bring a few in the house and give some to friends and neighbors to enjoy.

The one tree that I have and was most excited about blooming began this week with it's first flower in it's new home on the curb side. It survived the winds and storm and hot days to look pretty happy in it's new spot. I am looking forward to more and more flowers as the month progresses. My red crape myrtle thrives.

red crape myrtle is the same read as the stop sign at the corner across the street!

I worry about the changes in the weather but there isn't much any one person can do other than try to vote for changes to policy makers in the coming elections and live a greener life with all the choices we make. 

plant the crape myrtle tree

My new red crepe myrtle tree has three little trunks and is about 5 feet tall. I bought it last summer  (2011) at Merrifield Nursery in Gainesville Virginia for a substantial amount of money. I paid extra because this tree suited my needs, it is perfectly red and large enough to stand up to the passing foot traffic for the spot at the edge of our front curb.

56 years old and counting! Wonder if I can dig a hole big and deep enough to plant my tree this year?

I have wanted a really red crepe myrtle in my garden for a long time. Last summer I found that the spot I chose wasn't ready and my strength not up to the hard labor in the summer heat. This type of tree needs lots of sun and that means I have to dig in the sun too!  I reluctantly set the planting project aside on my to do list over and over feeling very guilty that I couldn't get it in the ground to start growing. I discovered sadly that getting old slows you down sometimes when your heart wants to go full speed ahead.

I have a vision of a large crepe myrtle with handsome dark red bark trunks peeling beige skin that is pollarded a bit to give it a bushy top each spring once it is happy in it's new home. At last today after a week of heavy rains that leaves soil soft and easier to dig I went out in the the sun with lots of big puffy white clouds and dug up the ground. It was hard but not as hard as I feared.

I mixed in loads of compost and  because this spot is entirely the remains of the enormous Linden tree that used to live there. The ground was sandy and much of the old mulched Linden tree had broken down to a sort of light brown soil. Sadly it died and was ground up into mulch a couple years ago and now the city won't put a big shade tree there because sensible minds prevail and they don't want the branches in the electrical wires over this spot! They tried planting a lovely delicate red bud a few years back near by but that died even with my careful watering for two summers.  That is when I decided  this is the perfect place for a sun loving, short in stature, red crepe myrtle tree to live.

dug the hole

tree sits at the edge of the hole 30 inches deep before I added compost

Finally, I planted my little red crepe myrtle tree. Now, all I have to do is water and wait. The flowers come late in the summer when ever thing in the garden looks like it is going to keel over from heat and they last into early fall.

It looks small but that rich soil should make it take off soon to reach new heights this summer. 

smile for the camera Frederick the job is almost done

 Below you can see what the flowers were like last year while it was still waiting to be planted it put on a nice display in spite of being pretty tightly packed in a small plastic pot! Oh and the leaves turn a very handsome shade of ORANGE in the fall! It's a perfect end of the season color for our garden at the edge of tenth street.

Last summer's blooms on the crepe myrtle