If you live in Miami, Los Angeles, or Phoenix, you probably don't care that us Seattle folk just celebrated our
13,232nd minute of 80° (26.6°C) temps or higher this summer. Well it's a big deal to us and this being our hottest summer ever in the Pacific Northwest, I can finally say that I have successfully grown watermelons:
![](http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-b8QH8grHEaY/VdYyyo_2EdI/AAAAAAAAGAg/GzhkpGkuhfE/s640/IMG_5140.jpg) |
Watermelon 'Sunshine' |
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The watermelon vines love basking up the heat stored in the rocks I made for them. |
And cantaloupes and eggplants too:
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-3cIAujPc56c/VdYy0qqf6VI/AAAAAAAAGA4/Odswl-RYRoU/s640/IMG_5142.jpg) |
Cantaloupe 'Sarah's Choice' & Eggplant "Little Fingers' |
This is a practically instant castor bean forest. There will be plenty of seeds to share!
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-n4eujN4B-ds/VdYyywinkRI/AAAAAAAAGAw/gOueQw5dNoo/s640/IMG_5129.jpg) |
Ricinus communis 'Carmencita' |
I was floored to see Gloriosa rothschildiana come back to life. It didn't pop up out of the ground until mid-June but it has been making up for lost time, completely devouring this magnolia tree.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-qrmEpwJ9wxk/VdYy2j4KLuI/AAAAAAAAGBU/entzp2sWm-g/s640/IMG_5145.jpg) |
Gloriosa rothschildiana |
Another unlikely survivor is this Alocasia. It was planted in the ground last summer and left for dead when winter came. It obviously thought differently.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qmuqdLCqedg/VdYy29czy4I/AAAAAAAAGBY/q7ZDGdIZFzM/s640/IMG_5147.jpg) |
Alocasia (unknown species) |
Our peach tree has produced about 80 pounds of peaches - the most ever. This one is a cultivar named 'Frost' which doesn't have the most spectacular taste but makes up for it by being resistant to peach leaf curl.
![](http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-dmSivLA-jJQ/VdYy3RCUIuI/AAAAAAAAGBo/z6gZ8E0X4ow/s640/IMG_5152.jpg) |
Peach 'Frost' |
We're lucky to see crape myrtles bloom in September around here in a normal year but this year they're a month ahead of schedule.
![](http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-MRam0ipKIdI/VdYy4KRj2_I/AAAAAAAAGB0/WmsW3M1ITSU/s640/IMG_5158.jpg) |
Unknown crape myrtle & Rose 'Just Joey' |
As are the grapes.
![](http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-H8PaYipn7hQ/VdYy4mni_KI/AAAAAAAAGCE/RgNWNuamPUY/s640/IMG_5160.jpg) |
'Lakemont' seedless grape |
I guess it's a good sign if the fish are always begging for food.
Thanks for reading! I'll do my best to not go more than three months before the next post.