Hello summer!

When gardeners get together these days, the talk is inevitably of earliness. Ten day, two weeks, a month—depends on what plant you’re talking about, but they’re all ahead of their time. That will happen when you have ninety-degree temps (occasionally) before summer even officially begins. Not to mention the boost of hot weather we had in the early spring.

This is the first year I have had lilium regales and daylilies opening in June, and my hydrangeas have almost completely colored up, as you can see, above. Containers and hanging baskets have to be watered almost continually, and there's no rain in sight.

Nonetheless, I’ll take it. I’ll take it over the triple-digits they’re having down south. They said this would happen, and it’s happening.

Those of us on garden tours are a bit concerned, but it’s also a good lesson. You can’t depend on flower power alone in a garden. There has to be structure, foliage, texture, elements like water features and sculpture, and some sort of design that holds it all together even when all your lilies are bloomed out (as mine may be by Garden Walk). But most of all, the garden needs to be an attractive and comfortable place for the gardener to hang out. Because it’s too hot to garden. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself.