It's Summer!

And it's stiflingly hot.  Hard to breathe.  Can't garden.  But I did some work today because I've been off work since Friday and have to go back Thursday.  We're so busy, a lot of stress.  I blame it on millenials, but really it just seems that the whole world is a lot uglier these days.  The beginning of the end, to quote my now-retired former boss.

The winter was incredibly cold, and early, like the beginning of December.  My pipes froze once again the beginning of January.  I'd just attended a deacon's meeting in which Pastor Deryk said that people seem to be suffering from some sort of funk, and we will experience troubles in the year ahead.  And these troubles should be considered God's gift.  I'm still thinking through that one.

In any event most of my lavender plant died, as well as the butterfly bush in the side garden, and my sister-in-law's groundcover rose in the front yard completely croaked.  It had been moved by the sewer repair people, then replanted in the wrong spot.  So of course I had to move it again.  Getting too arrogant and/or careless.  In the shade garden I lost two bleeding hearts, which I don't understand because I've seen some enormous stands of them.  But then I had some weird stems come up where my beautiful Gold Heart variety was.  I thought the woodchuck had struck again but then realized I must have oversprayed some Roundup in that area.  I'll never learn.  Apparently in a fit of pique I sprayed my neighbor's bittersweet and grapevine.  Bad move because I'd come to rely on the latter to cover his chain link fence, which borders the shade garden.

Poor Gold Heart.  Not sure if it'll recover from being poisoned.

I do actually have a few hydrangea blooms on some plants. I transplanted the Vanilla Strawberry hydrangea last fall, apparently permanently wrecking my thumb. I needed cortisone for my trigger thumb condition. Aging is not for sissies. Anyway I had to prune it hard because it was so huge, and now it's being attacked by wood borers. I had to cut it back farther; hopefully the glue and/or nail polish on the branch tips will prevent further infestation. The Blue Billow hydrangea is very beautiful this year. I planted a new one in front to replace the rose.

I've continued with the major renovation of the back garden, buying a Royal Purple smokebush and Tiger Eyes sumac. It'll be a while, though, before they reach full height.  I've acquired quite a taste for chartreuse things.

Smokebush's in back with pink plumes; sumac behind orange butterfly weed.

I've yet to plant a Judd viburnum in place of a double pink knockout rose. I've just about given up on some roses in this garden. This rose will be placed next to another one in the side garden. Maybe it'll do better there. My fairy roses are gorgeous per usual; the red one has really grown.

Peonies and clematis were very prolific this year.  I'm always afraid of clematis wilt but I think mine just suffer from the heat.  Finally got around to twisting a wire around the deck post for Comtesse to climb.

Comtesse de Bouchard.  Ignore the garbage bags please.

Good old Jackmanii.

Once again I'll be moving things around, like a hosta under the Japanese maple that doesn't get enough light and is changing colors. Also the irises in the front garden got so big they're crowding out their neighbors. The red fairy rose got so big it crowded out a beautiful pale yellow daylily and Rozanne cranesbill.  I'll quote whomever again - gardening is the art of moving things around.  Constantly.

I'll have to move these beauties; few blooms next year, darn it!