High altitude gardening

We live at 4,930 feet above sea level. It is hot and dry. Right now, at 8:00 PM the temperature is 90F. There is no wind at all. It is down right eerie.

I usually enjoy sitting out on the back deck listening and watching the bird activity at their feeders and bird bath, but tonight they are very still. With the sprinklers on the birds are usually ‘showering’.

It has become overcast, hazy really, and there is a threat of dry thunderstorms. The kind that creates heat lighting. We get a lot of lighting strikes here in Utah. I don’t know if its because of the altitude or what. I’m originally from Indiana and I remember as a kid watching some spectacular lightning shows. It was beautiful really. I don’t get to see that much anymore. My wife, however, who is from California, does not share my 'fascination' and runs indoors at the first flash. I love to hear the thunder, especially at night when you’re lying in bed drifting off to sleep. It’s an odd comfort.

The temperature today hit 100F again. Most of my plants are doing okay but I have to give them extra water. Some of the plants require some sort of cover to prevent burning. Unfortunately, I have not been as vigilant as I should have been and a few plants show some scorched leaves such as on the Hosta, Liatris, one of the Veronica and the Hydrangea. Since they are all such young plants I fear the scorching may be too much for them. But they may make it in spite of me.

One thing I find interesting about here in Utah is that it is still light out at 9:00 at night. Makes for a big window of opportunity to get gardening work done.

Forecasted high temperature for tomorrow is 103F, so Lemonade in the shade sounds like my forecast.