The car thermometer read 110, but we were not going to let a little Georgia heat get in our way of exploring this afternoon. I have been driving by signs for Savannah Botanical Gardens on Eisenhower Drive since May and decided today was the day to check it out. 
The sun was high ( not so easy to photograph in a garden) and I am challenged with my new mirror-less Olympus OM-D. (Why are my cameras always so much smarter than me!)
This garden is managed and maintained by the Savannah Area Council of Garden Clubs. Keeping these gardens looking so good is no small feat in this heat. (Couldn’t resist the rhyme) There are 21 areas to explore. 
I was beginning to despair of seeing roses growing around my new home in Savannah, but not only did I see roses (oh, they do suffer in this heat)
but I found a pamphlet from the Savannah Rose Society. Perhaps I will get some roses in my garden after all! The pamphlet says the SRS is dedicated to helping you grow roses!
Just as I was beginning to think I could not take any more of the blazing sun, I turned to a shade path, and saw this lovely creature. 
If the furry friend could sit quietly and enjoy the serenity, I guessed I could too!
I am still learning my way through the long list of Southern plants I’ve never grown or even KNOWN! 
This amazing plant, both beautiful and fragrant is unknown to me – dear readers do you know it?
Some of my favorite blog writers are writing about the waning days of Summer and the hints of Autumn. Not so in Savannah, where the sun is strong, the temperatures scream SUMMER and the plants show no sign of fading yet. 
So, it was a wonderful day to see a garden, despite the heat. The strong sun and heat have already influenced my garden style. If you’ve read my blog for some time, you may have seen my classic iron urns on stands that always stood at my front door. They came here to Savannah with me, but the usual boxwood or geranium plantings don’t look right. So I went wild and added some tropical color and a real punch to the front yard. I wonder what the neighbors think? 
They may be brash, but I think they hold up to the strong sun, and they are screaming, HOT HOT HOT! 110 degrees of botanical bliss!
Jayne In Georgia 
Loved the tour and back home it is quite chilly and summer feels over. Your planters are wonderful and make geraniums look so dull.
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I hope summer lasts long enough for my trip north !!!
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The plants you loved are ginger lilies and as mentioned, are SO fragrant. Here in Louisiana I see both white and orange varieties. Welcome to the south!
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Ah! I just read an article about ginger lilies and have been asking at nurseries but no one had them. Just the Siam lilies. I didn’t know they got so big! They are fabulous! Thank you!!!!
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I’m a Califirnia girl, born and raised, but we lived in Texas for a couple of years and it was always a challenge to remember the new rules with regards to weather and climate differences. The botanic gardens are beautiful.
Karen
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I am amazed that there is so much flowering in all that heat – the obvious answer seems to be if you grow the right plant in the right conditions it will thrive. Summer seems over for us at the moment, maybe it will return a little – an Indian summer – a time of year I love. Your urns look absolutely stunning – good choice.
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Your planters are fabulous, it doesn’t matter what the neighbours think, they look just right with all the sun and heat you’re having!
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I imagine your ingenuity is admired by all the neighbors! Clever and Fun Urns!
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Have always loved those urns and it’s nice to see such color! Here I am picking the last of the plum tomatoes and there isn’t a flower to be seen other than the hydrangeas and thalictrum. I miss your dahlias.
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The dahlias! This is the first New England summer that I have ever missed – so many flowers that I did not get to see this year!
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Love the crotons in the planters! I bet they just wallow in the heat and humidity.
I think all signs of life would stop around here if we went to 110! Brave of you to tackle the garden after seeing that thermometer reading. I wonder how the volunteers do it, it looks great. So many times you see abandoned gardens at this time of year, theirs looks to be going strong!
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I thought the same thing! There must be a very dedicated crew of volunteers to keep it looking that good considering the heat!
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In addition to roses, I also suffer in the heat, so I was glad to be able to view this garden via your blog. Your urns with the bright tropical foliage looks fabulous!
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I concur with other comments that your urns filled with color are perfect for that setting and heat.
By the way the word is “feat” to rhyme with heat. “Fete” rhymes with pet and is a fair.
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Spell check lets me down again!
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Such a lovely garden! Glad the heat didn’t keep you away….so much beauty in this space!!!
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110? Good Lord! I’d have been inside! The garden definitely didn’t seem to care what the temps were. Everything looks great. As for your urns, they look fabulous! Who cares what the neighbors think? You were born original. Don’t die a clone. Stick what ever makes you happy in those urns!
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What a gorgeous garden, I just love all the stunning blooms and color!
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Hello Jayne, those urns in the final picture look as though they’re aflame! The plant you’re asking an ID of is a ginger lily but I couldn’t tell you the variety (a yellow one?). I hope you find roses that can withstand the searing summer. With the sun and the heat, it seems like you’re on a permanent holiday!
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Right you are on the ginger lily! Another reader got it too, and I have a new neighbor who confirms it and has some fabulous white ginger lilies growing in her back yard, adjacent to mine. WOuldnt it be nice if they spread through the shrub border and came to live in my yard!
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You’ve reminded me of my time in Florida. It was so hot and so very different from New Hampshire, but I enjoyed it.
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Thanks for stopping by and for your comment. We are neighbors – practically!
What a wonderful blog and what great photographs!
Since you love gardening you must check out my friend and sometimes client’s website http://www.gbcstyle.com – She grows organic flowers in the lower Hudson Valley area!
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