I think we are all struggling to ruff it out with the heat that this sunshine brought, but that doesn’t mean we need to stay inside all day! Whether it’s getting up early to beat the baking sun, or heading outside at dusk, there are plenty of ways to get your bones buried this time of year. Add in that the kiddos are now out of school and I get my friends to play with all day long, I know its hard to get a bite into any yard improvements that may have been planned.
There are plenty of plants that actually enjoy this heat too, woof who would do that? Some of my favorites are Hibiscus and Marigolds! They make great accents to the yard and bring a nice POP of color too. Like Marigolds, Hibiscus actually come in a range of colors as well. The most common that you will see is the bright pink, but there is gold, white and even blue if you are lucky enough to find it! That said, like my bones buried in the yard, blue Hibiscus are actually a different family of plant but is so similar it joined the group. Marigolds, while still all fall into the orange/yellow family can throw a nice twist on you with different levels of reds and oranges mixed into their peddles. Coneflowers also really enjoy the summer heat, being apart of the daisy family they tend to look like giant ones! If these aren’t enjoy for you to bark at, how about something like a citrus tree! Lemons and Oranges do well with the heat if they get partial shade during the day, usually better for the later half of the afternoon rather than the morning if my paws don’t get in your way of the planning!
Don’t want a flowering plant or a fruit tree? Japanese Maple trees enjoy our climates if they can get some shade as well! So if you’ve got a part of your yard that gets shaded in the afternoon by other trees or your house, this would be a WOOFING spot for a Japanese Maple! This will also help ADD shade to your yard as well once it gets put in, which not only would be great for my paws, but also gives more room for plants that need partial shade as well! It would be a win-win for me and the yard!
All of these plants, and if we aren’t kidding ourselves me too, will thrive using Planter’s Mix! It is a great sand loam blend that helps keep the plants happy and hydrated without getting too compact that I wouldn’t be able to dig a new hole in, I mean.. it helps keep the roots aerated! Happy roots make for happy plants!
If all of that doesn’t wag your tail, you can never go wrong with a beach or pool day! Even a little kiddie pool adds to the joy of a yard for a pooch like myself! If you want to put down a bigger above ground pool, using a base like the Mason sand would be great! It would help prevent the ground under the pool becoming a total mud pit from me jumping in and out, not to mention my tail shaking with excitement!