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Hot Gardens Newsletter - August 2005 Previous newsletters by month Gardening advice by topic Hot Walls. While we have entered into the Too-Hot-To-Do-Anything-Outside season, we would recommend that you take a quick foray into your garden during midday and feel how hot those concrete block walls are. Then, during the evening, do it again. This simple test will show you how much heat is being absorbed during the day, then radiated back out at night.
Topiary Trim. You do not have to settle for a single, boring row of shrubs along your walls. This photo shows a combination of three shrubs that have been trimmed into simple shapes to add dimension to an essentially flat space. The low hedge in front is Korean Boxwood (Buxus Koreana) which is recommended for hot, dry climates. The English Boxwood does not like our alkaline soils and hot summers. Behind the Boxwood is a large Myrtle (Myrtus communis) shaped into a globe. The tall hedge at the rear is Japanese Privet (Ligustrum japonicum). Topiary, by the way, does not necessarily mean plants trimmed to look like teddy bears or dinosaurs. Shrubs trimmed into simple geometric shapes are also topiary. Myrtle
Fan. We especially like Myrtle for hedges. It has
small leaves and needs only an annual trimming after it has been
initially shaped. The privet, on the other hand, shoots branches
out in all directions and requires frequent attention. It also has
an unpleasantly scented flower. Privet shrubs, however, can make a
narrower hedge than the wider Myrtle. The Delicious Side of Global Warming. One of Britain's largest grocery store chains, Sainsburys, has just harvested and sold the first-ever crop of apricots grown commercially in the U.K. Kiwi fruit is next on their list of new, locally-grown, non-native fruits. Another grower has planted an almond orchard in Southern England with an eye to harvesting the nuts commercially. This may impact growers elsewhere on our planet who may find that the demand for their exported apricots, kiwis and almonds will diminish. You can find a list of fruit trees and nut trees for your desert garden on this site. We would like to thank Joan Padro for bringing this news about apricots in London to our attention. Go to our Newsletter
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