It's mid-summer in Iowa which means it's two things: hot and muggy. This hour on Talk of Iowa host Charity Nebbe talks with horticulture expert Richard Jauron and Denny Schrock, coordinator for the Iowa Master Gardener's Program.
Schrock says there are some plants that thrive in the heat and humidity.
"If we have a lot of days with temperatures above 85 degrees, plants are living off their stored energy instead of crating food for themselves. There are a couple different ways plants photosynthesize, so the ones that do that above 80 degrees usually do a lot better in the summer," he explains.
If you're looking for plants that like the heat, Schrock has a few recommendations.
Perennials:
Agastache/hummingbird mint/anise hyssop – Agastache spp.
Bee balm – Monarda didyma, M. fistulosa
Blanket flower – Gaillardia grandiflora
Blue mist spirea – Caryopteris clandonensis
Butterfly bush – Buddleia davidii
Hardy hibiscus – Hibiscus moscheutos
Helen's flower – Helenium autumnale
Lilyturf – Liriope muscari, L. spicata
Phlox – Phlox paniculata
Russian sage – Perovskia atriplicifolia
Sedum/stonecrop – Sedum spp.
Stoke's aster – Stokesia laevis
Annuals:
Cock's comb – Celosia argenta spicata, C. argentea plumosa, C. argentea cristata
Coleus – Plectranthus scutellarioides
Globe amaranth – Gomphrena globosa
Lantana – Lantana camera
Moss rose – Portulaca grandiflora
Summer snapdragon – Angelonia angustifolia
Sweet potato vine – Ipomoea batatas
Vinca/Madagascar periwinkle – Catharanthus roseus
Wishbone flower/Clown flower – Torenia fourneiri
Zinnia – Zinnia elegans, Z. angustifolia, Z. marylandica
At the beginning of this Talk of Iowa broadcast, Nebbe talks with Mark Kuhn about what it took to recreate Wimbledon's center court in a converted cattle feedlot near Charles City.