40 What?

It has been hot… Very hot… Hotter than I can remember! 

Since the New Year, our part of western Sydney has been subjected to extreme heat: nine days beyond 40 degrees Celsius and many more in the high thirties. For my readers in the USA, that is a lot of days close to, or above, 100⁰ in the Fahrenheit scale. Naturally, January was the hottest month on record, and February is trending similarly… These are not records to cherish.

So, what about the home garden? Watering morning and evening has become a mandatory activity during this time, especially before the onset of scorching heat on the worst days… I am sure that most sub-tropical trees and plants are not designed to cope with temperatures beyond 40⁰C. It was a case of ‘keep them watered and hope for the best’. And bring precious, young seedlings indoors.

Burned new growth on a mango tree...

So, what about others? One of our friends lamented that the faces of her ripening Kensington Pride mangoes were blackening from sun-burn. I do wonder how the gardens of others fared during these extreme weather conditions.

Scald marks on Kaffir Lime fruit

Sun damage of Dancing Ladies Ginger

The Starfruits suffered through the heat too...

Thank heavens for a few cooler days before the fire returns next weekend. 

Wishing you hours of enjoyment and contentment in your garden…