Summer fatigue. It happens every year, but this year, it's happening earlier than usual.
I'm talking about the container plants that start out in June looking all fresh and perky, but lose their looks long before summer ends.
This year it's my nasturtiums that have gone ugly on me -- something that doesn't usually happen until August.
The stems are scraggly, the lilypad-like leaves are now withered and shrunken, and the profusion of orange blooms has dwindled to a few random stragglers.
I'm about ready to give up on them and replace them with something more attractive.
But what?
I have plenty of old-faithful foliage plants that I rely on to keep my pots looking pretty past Labor Day. My elephant ears are loving this hot, humid weather, and my moneywort is tumbling so fetchingly down the sides of my urns and pots.
But I could use some tough, heat-tolerant flowers as well.
