Vacation-Resistant Plants

I held my breath as we pulled into our driveway fearing the worst. During our month long absence the local temperatures had been in the high 90's for extended periods with 80's the norm and no rain. I had designed our garden for both drought tolerance and deer-resistance but this would truly be a test as only the vegetable garden and containers are on drip irrigation.

The garden had already had a rough start with a relentlessly wet spring, so much so that even by mid-June our night temperatures were below 50'f at night. I eventually threw out my basil seedlings but zinnias, cleome and coleus looked pretty rough as a result of the cold when I left so I wasn't even sure they would survive.

Preparation

The front garden was largely unfazed even after weeks of high temperatures.

• I asked a friend to come in once a week to water hydrangeas, two small newly planted shrubs, and a handful of newly planted annuals which were in the ground rather than containers.
• Hydrangeas, nandina and daylilies were sprayed with Deer-Out repellent, and Rozanne geraniums with Plantskydd as the rabbits have taken a liking to some this year
• Newly planted grasses were protected with chicken wire cages or old hanging basket frames and sprayed with Plantskydd as rabbits had nibbled those.
• The grass was cut just before we left. It's full of weeds so we consider it "pasture" rather than lawn, but with 5 acres we have to be realistic!
• Some of the garden borders had been mulched in spring with Fertil-Mulch to help conserve moisture.

Results

Weeds to some, but I was just happy not to to see scorched, bare earth where there used to be grass!

The first thing I noticed was how pretty the grass was! I expected either a waist-high mess or  brown stubble. I was delighted to see a flower-studded Great Dixter-like "meadow" . Looking more closely, this was a tapestry birdsfoot trefoil as well as blue self-heal, white clover, yarrow and various grasses, all of which looked remarkably green

The area we leave uncut during the summer was taller, the tan seed heads giving a pretty contrast. See the leading photo with our dog Molly showing perfect color echoes!

Fire Light panicle hydrangea, Royal Velvet smoke bush and Rozanne geranium all looking fresh despite hot summer weather

The front garden faces west so took the brunt of the sun yet it looked fresh and colorful. The shrubs had not defoliated, perennials were in full bloom and the hydrangeas looked amazing!

Bobo hydrangea is a superior compact variety of panicle hydrangea that withstands tough conditions. Lots of blooms, strong stems and minimal heat damage

Panicle hydrangeas are always a good choice for sunnier spots but I had expected leaf scorch at the very least. My friend did say that the week we were at 97'f she watered them twice but it just shows that daily watering may not be necessary if the shrubs are established and the soil is a good moisture retentive mix.

FlowerFull smooth hydrangea will be released by First Editions in 2025. I've been growing and testing it for two years. It isn't showing on their website yet.

I've never bothered with smooth hydrangeas such as Annabelle as they always flop horribly unless tied in some way and seem to need gallons of water to prevent collapse, so I was underwhelmed when First Editions asked me to test out their new FlowerFull. The first year I grew it in the vegetable garden, away from deer and on drip irrigation but full sun to see how it held up. To my surprise it showed no signs of heat stress and bloomed well, the flowers drying beautifully on the stems for winter interest. So this spring I dug it up and transplanted it to the front garden where it will eventually get dappled shade from a still young paperbark maple. Right now, however it receives direct southern sun and largely unfiltered western sun too. This was one of the hydrangeas I asked my friend to water once a week. It is stunning! No flopping at all as you can see, lots of blooms, healthy foliage and a nice size at approximately 3'6" tall and wide. Definitely a variety to watch for at the nurseries next year.

Woodland garden still looking good – the spring rains must have really helped

The woodland garden is usually pretty bleak in summer; spring and fall are the best times for color and also when the seasonal stream is filled. In summer the ground bakes as hard as a dry river bed and moisture hogs such as Rodgersia die back while grasses and ferns struggle. Perhaps due to the excessive spring rains the woodland still look surprisingly good and had not received any supplemental water during our absence.

Notable Stars

So what did exceptionally well?

Full sun: shrubs

Lavender is allowed to self-seed and mingle with other plants – an easy winner for hot, dry areas

Panicle hydrangeas: Bobo, Fire Light

Smooth hydrangea: Flowerfull, a new dwarf Annabelle from First Editions available in 2025 (stunning performer – watch for a future post on this new introduction)

Spirea (although I know from experience these are best if watered every 6 weeks to prevent defoliation)

Barberries (although I know from experience these won't tolerate 2+ months without water. These are not invasive in the PNW)

Hypericum: Cobalt-n-Gold, Pumpkin, Red Fame

Hibiscus

Weigela

Lavender

Delavay osmanthus

Peonies

Nandina: Cool Glow Lime, Cool Glow Pomegranate, Cool Glow Peach . All had minor leaf scald but not too bad

Smoke bushes: Grace, Old-Fashioned, Golden Spirit, Royal Velvet (deer nibbled a few Old-Fashioned branches)

Full sun: perennials

Rozanne hardy geranium

Fleabane (Erigeron spp.): Profusion, Lynnhaven Carpet

Sea holly: Sapphire Blue, Jade Frost (long since reverted but still pretty)

Gaura: Whirling Butterflies

Grasses

Sage (Salvia spp.)

Russian sage

Lambs ears

Thyme

Day lilies (although foliage starting to deteriorate)

Penstemon: Rose Rhinestones (newly planted and available 2025), Midnight Masquerade

Stoke's Aster: Riptide (newly planted and available 2025)

Tall verbena (Verbena bonariensis)

Catmint (Nepeta spp.)

Full sun: annuals in the ground

Rosalita cleome

Licorice plant

Alyssum (self seeded from last year plus new)

Amistad sage

Zinnias (although not looking as strong as typical due to cold start)

Ammi majus (self seeded from last year plus new seedlings)

Tobacco plant (self seeded from last year)

Dappled shade: perennials

Dry shade gets drier in summer – but looking good with zero intervention so far

Siberian bugloss (Brunnera spp.)

Epimedium

Heart-leaf ox-eye (Telekia speciosa)

Royal fern

Japanese forest grass

Variegated comfrey

Big root geranium

Spiderwort (Tradescantia): Webmaster (newly planted), Available 2025

The Casualties

Some scorching on lungwort (Pulmonaria spp.) in sunnier areas, variegated andromeda (Pieris sp.) which had been newly planted, and the newer soft leaves of a seven-son flower (Heptacodium)

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