July 2022

This July the Zinnias exploded. Not a lot of harvesting has been taking place in the backyard yet, apart from a few tomatoes and peas, but after many years of misplacement, I am very pleased with the strength of an 8 foot tall sunflower proudly blooming out front. The front yard perennials – Valerian, Veronica, Delphinium, Bleeding Heart, and Salvia largely wound down during this month. Russian Sage reached its zenith and is still going strong.  Scabiosa, Snap Dragons, Salpiglossis, Poppies, Daises and Caendula bloomed and gave up their seeds and some are still in flower. I succession planted Zinnias, Sunflowers, Love In A Mist, and Cosmos in the gaps left by dying annuals.

Twenty-three 23 days hit over 90 degrees and 4 breached the 100 degree mark. I spent a lot of time thinking about drought and climate change while pondering if hand watering the flower beds was simply adding to the issue.