Phew! Yesterday was a scorcher, and it looks like we're in for another hot day today. The plants are a little shocked, but we wonder if the long, slow early growing period might have toughened them up a bit. While we wait and see, here are three tips for beating the heat... in your garden, anyway:

A quick blast of water in the heat of the afternoon cools the plants and hardscape down a bit. With our cool nights (ahh, those cool nights), we only have a few really broiling hours, and a little cooling can go a long way towards preventing burned leaves and miffed plants. It's still best to do your main watering in the early morning, but a couple of minutes of well timed water in the afternoon can be a big help.
Plant a few summer performers that actually enjoy a little heat. These plants may take awhile to come on strong, but they love the weather we're having right now, and will thrive through fall. One annual we love is Solanum pyracanthum - a sort of mean-looking spiky tomato.
Resolve to work towards a lower water garden. Drought tolerant plants tolerate heat better than their hydrophilic counterparts, and you don't have to water them every day in a hot spell to keep them from collapsing completely.

Enjoy the heat, if you're a heat lover, and happy hiding if you're not! We're still working on your newsletter. We're sharing some tips and ideas for selecting and working with stone, and we think it will be worth the wait.