Challenges Continue ... My Dry Tropics Garden Journal, Mid-Summer, Week 4, January 2025

Garden Journal Entry - Week 4

Seasons:  Mid-Summer & Wet Season

Daytime Temps:  32°C - 35°C

Night Time Temps: 24°C - 26°C

Humidity Levels: between 70% & 90%

Hours of daylight:  13 hours

Rainfall:  3.4 mm

Surviving The Heatwave - Trials In The Garden

The garden has been a place of triumphs and challenges this week as we endure some of the hottest, most humid days of the season. With temperatures hovering between 32 and 35°C and the humidity making it feel closer to 41 or 42°C, gardening has been less of a joy and more of an endurance test. Even the early mornings provide little respite, with the sun blazing fiercely from the moment it rises and the UV index climbing from moderate to extreme before midday.

After a week away visiting family down south—where, ironically, it was even hotter—we were eager to return to the comforts of home.  We had left the garden in what we thought were capable hands and arrangements had been made to water the potted and hanging plants, as well as the newly planted garden beds under the pergola. What could possibly go wrong during a single week?

A Dramatic Homecoming

Returning from our brief getaway, we were greeted not by tranquility, but by unexpected chaos. The anticipation of a relaxing cuppa quickly gave way to shock.

Two enormous trees—each over 30 feet tall—had toppled, crushing the old chook pen and shed beneath them. This corner of our property, admittedly a bit neglected, has now become an unplanned project of Herculean proportions. The Eucalyptus platyphylla and Tabebuia heterophylla giants are too large for us to tackle alone, leaving us pondering the next steps while their uprooted trunks serve as an unmissable reminder of nature’s unpredictability.

The top photo in the collage above shows the uprooted trees lying gracefully over the chook pen fence and shed. The bottom photo gives you an idea of just how tall these trees are / were - that black box indicates the top of the Eucalyptus platyphylla (the tree with the white trunk).

These are immense trees, both of which have wood that is dense and heavy. It will take such a lot of hard work to cut up these trees and remove all the debris. My dear hubby would have tackled that job in days gone by, but now it's beyond him, so we're not sure what we're going to do. The trees will likely remain in place for some time!

A Garden In Distress

Unfortunately, the surprises didn’t end there. Wandering through the garden revealed the extent of the damage caused by the heat and missed waterings.

Under the pergola, my newly established, thriving garden bed was a heartbreaking sight. Plants that had been vibrant before we left were now sunburnt and shrivelled. My beloved Tree Fern, a standout in its pot, appears beyond saving, whilst the lovely Blechnum 'Silver Lady' Fern shows signs of distress and heat damage. Months of work undone in a mere seven days.

The photo above shows the difference between what it looked like before we left, and what it now looks like after I had to cut back all the obviously parched and burnt plants. I had mentioned in my last post that this area was one of my latest garden projects and it's disheartening to see the progress of months undone in a matter of days, with this space now requiring intensive rescue efforts.

Worse still, my shadehouse garden had become a battleground against an army of mealy bugs. Nearly all of my hanging baskets of Calibrachoa were infested, requiring drastic pruning.

But the real devastation lay with my beloved Coleus plants—all 15 of them, both potted and in the ground.

Every leaf and stem was weighed down by the sheer number of these tiny, white, hairy pests.

Despite my efforts before our trip—hosing them off, dabbing with methylated spirits, and squashing them—the infestation absolutely exploded in our absence.

I've never seen an infestation like it!

Plans For Recovery

Now begins the hard work of reclaiming the garden. The Coleus have been cut back to their barest stalks, and I’m preparing to hit them hard with a combination of neem oil and metho treatments frequently in the coming weeks. It’s a daunting task, but one I’m determined to tackle. We're almost two-thirds through our horrid summer, so let's see how it all goes through the continuing heat, humidity and rainfall that's predicted!

A Reminder Of Resilience

Gardening, as always, is a lesson in patience and perseverance. This week’s setbacks have been frustrating, but they also highlight the resilience of plants—and gardeners. I’ll rebuild what’s been lost, and perhaps next week will bring better news. After all, what’s a garden without a few challenges to keep us growing alongside it?

This Week's Garden Highlights: What's Blooming?

Let me end this week's journal with a cheerier note. Here's a few of the gorgeous blooms on show right now, mostly in outdoor garden beds.