a couple of my heuchera have dried up... I dunno if its dormancy or death.... new transplants this year, so it could be either.

Bleeding Hearts look terrible. Since mine aren't in full sun, they usually look decent thru August.

Most of my "dried up" astilbe & fern come back in the spring. My Bleeding Heart always come back. The heuchera I've had many years like purple palace return in the spring, but the newer heucheras are usually goners. (The one "newer" heuchera I've had great luck with is Caramel.)

The beauty of raising perennials is that they can go dormant in a drought and return the next year wonderfully healthy -- just like your burned out lawn. A very new perennial which hasn't gotten established yet might not make it, but anything in the ground since last year should pull through. Nance

Heuchera Peach Crisp, is crisp. All the others look great.
We had a very wet spring and just recently had a dry spell.

You would think with the heat wave that my companion plants would be awful looking. I can't figure it out, but my Heucheras, Pulmonarias & Brunneras are all looking wonderful still. But I have had crunchy, dried up plants in previous years.
I used to have my Pulmonarias in a much sunnier area, and they would dry up and go dormant by mid-July. They always came back strong every spring though. I can't advise you on the Astilbe (I don't have any) but I have in the past had Ferns & Heuchera turn to toast in the heat; I kept watering them with the rest of the plants, and they came back the following spring.

Wendy

Boy I really feel for you guys that are dealing with such terrible conditions. I rarely give me ferns supplemental water and never water my Heuchera and don't have trouble with either burning up or going dormant and in fact they all are still looking near perfect. The Heuchera seem to thrive in the drier, sandier areas of the garden with morning sunlight, though hostas in the same spots are looking crispy as they too have never been hit by the sprinklers. Fortunately most of my hostas are in shade so they still look really good. I do find that growing them lean through the good times helps them to survive better through the tough times.

I just realizes how that question might seem really stupid. Yes, I know thee plants are perennials and come back in the spring. I am used to them dying later in the fall and not mid-summer. That's what I was asking about, unnatural timing of death..

I think the heat is affecting my brain.

chris

Chris,
I knew what you were talking about... you were trying to figure out whether the heat had killed the plants entirely, or if the heat had caused them to go dormant, and they would reappear in the spring.
I thought your question was quite clear :)

Wendy

Thank you, Wendy. :)

Let me put it to this way Chris. No! My ferns and Heucheras are not dying back as are the hostas looking bad,but not really dying. My native ferns never miss a lick,but then,they are used to all kinds of strange weather. I also have other,non-native ferns that look absolutely normal. I recently transplanted a Japanese painted fern to a new part of my garden,and not only is it still alive,but it is actively putting on new fronds! So,the answer is:don't worry. They will survive. Phil

We are still having the heat wave with most days in the mid to upper 90's for about 3 weeks now. I think we had one day that it only got up in the upper 80's. We have had one good rain. My ferns and hostas look surprisingly good but I water with an impulse sprinkler every other day for two hours in each of three spots to cover the entire front yard. I normally don't water overhead since it is bad for the blues but it is too hot to stand out there and hand water for hours on end. My watering heavily is good for the trees as well. They have dropped some leaves but not all that many. I picked the wrong year to go wild planting annuals all over in the ground plus in about 60 hanging baskets and pots. I have to water all of the baskets and pots on the alternate day of watering the hostas.

This is an exceptional year here as far as temps go. Most days are above 105, and have been for over a month with no rain for over 60 days.. It's hard to tell what is dead, and what is dormant, in spite of the watering.

A lot of the ferns go dormant, as do the astilbes, and will put on new growth when the fall rains come (if they do at all) but anything that puts on new growth now, if that growth dies, the plant will be a goner. I've already lost some plants for sure that way.

Not sure about the hostas, I think some of the younger ones are truly fried, and not just dormant. Most of the older ones will be ok.

Dicentras should be fine, they all go dormant in dry years.

It isn't the drought that concerns me so much, it's the extreme heat. Most plants can live through drought. But not if they are cooked.

Cooked is right! It's really scary when you look at a weather map and nearly the whole country is either red or orange because of the temps.

I have just one word to say: RAIN! it has been raining off and on all day, the good, steady rain the seeps into the ground, not a wasteful quick thunderstorm. I am so happy, it is supposed to stay through tomorrow and I don't have to turn on the hose! RAIN!

chris

Lucky you! Still no rain here,with temps in the mid to upper 90's,and no relief in sight. If my garden wasn't in the woods,it would be a goner by now. Congrats on getting some rain. Phil