Stifling Seems Appropriate

The heat was stifling and oppressive today. Nice close-up of plume celosia (Celosia plumosa 'Fresh Look Yellow') with a neat petunia (Petunia 'Opera Supreme Pink Morn') that are in our All-America Selections berm. I felt bad for Rick who was running the chainsaw all day and hauling brush. The grounds crew wilted too. I actually had the full contingent today (Larry, Marv, Marianne, Janice, Jerry and Terry). I have to admit that I had more air conditioning today then my co-workers as I worked with many people to get my work computer back in shape after some weird changes to our phone lines. Tech support can be quite frustrating and after 4 hours on the phones, we might have the problems solved. Kay, Heidi, Tim, Marilyn and some other volunteers helped out on the grounds but also helped tag plants in the plant sale. The Grumpies were again very helpful with plant sale prep and helping arrange the sale.

This is the time of year we start to see the thousands of 'Autumn Joy' sedums starting to turn pink for their late summer/early fall show. Don't get me wrong, I love 'Autumn Joy' sedum but do feel that it has become overplanted. Sedum (stonecrop) is a very durable plant in the garden and can take brutal sun and poor soil. The sedum pictured below is 'Red Cauli' sedum (Sedum telephium 'Red Cauli') and is one of the "hottest" sedums out there. Known for its bright red, tight 2-3" clusters, this sedum also has bluish-green foliage and can tolerate tough conditions but prefers full sun for sure. This variety was winner of the prestigious Royal Horticultural Society's (UK) Garden Merit award in 2006. It has blooming like this for almost a month at Rotary Gardens and I certainly see using more of this particular sedum.