Hot Hot Hot

It's too hot!  95 yesterday and again today.  The pool water got up to 90!  The flowers are blooming and dying before I even get a chance to see them.  And I just can't make myself do anything outside except float in the pool.  The forecast isn't cooling significantly any time soon, either, although the humidity will decrease a bit in the next few days.  Still, when it gets this hot, it's still too hot, even with slightly lower humidity.

Rob worked a bit outside yesterday in the morning, but that was all.  Emma and I chased a bunny (I really need to spray Liquid Fence) out of the garden this morning and were already hot.  She's at Trot Camp, sweltering.

Lots of storms last night and this morning, and maybe more this evening.  I haven't checked the rain gauge, since it's still raining, but it seems like a good amount.  That means I don't have to water the new trees for a couple of days, which is nice.  Rob's dry-well by the front porch worked well through the storms.

The red lilies started blooming yesterday, and some of the "kiss-me-kate" lilies in the east bed are blooming as well.  It might be nice to put some of those red lilies near the blue delphinium, which is also blooming now --that would be a nice combination.  The yellow foxglove is beginning to bloom.

I've been in the pool once (yesterday) --the water is still 78 degrees.  Emma and Rob have been in several times, and I might have gone in earlier if I hadn't gotten this cold.  

Today I bought two new lupines, which should actually flower in color, and planted them next to the white ones.  I added in some peat moss to the soil, since I don't really have any compost.

I also bought and potted some basil.

We've gotten about an inch of rain over the last two days --just what we needed.

Milkweed

We moved four milkweed plants from in front of the paddock to the garden.  They're all drooping a bit now, but perhaps they'll take.  They have the strangest roots --just one big root, really, that make a T at the bottom.  But none of the little stringy roots most plants have.  We watered them in well, and we're hoping for the best.

It's 73 and really humid today.  Maybe storms later.  We got less than a quarter inch of rain yesterday, so some more would be welcome.

The alliums mixed in with the siberian iris are beginning to bloom --there are yellow and pink so far.  I hope they'll seed themselves and spread.

Over the last two days, Rob has finished the stone steps up to the north porch.  It looks wonderful, with the old limestone lintels as steps.  He's also created the stone wall on the west side to match the one he built last year on the east side.  Creating the steps excavated quite a bit of dirt, so we just need a few more bags back by the bleeding heart to fill in the bed.

Today he had playground mulch delivered, and he's back there now, spreading it out on Emma's playground. 

I did a little watering, including the two new pines by the drive.  They were drooping, so I guess I need to water them a bit more often.  They have a lot of new growth to support right now.  I will try to remember to water them again tomorrow, and then we might get some rain this weekend.  I also watered the red bud and pussy willow trees, and need to remember to give them lots of water as well --I'd especially like to water the redbud deeply, to encourage deep roots so it will survive the winters.  I'll need to leave the hose there for a while to really let it get thoroughly watered.  

My lupines are blooming --white!  I've sent an email to Lisa, to see if she can think of what I  might be doing wrong with them.  They just don't look lush and healthy.  I should try to top them with compost and more mulch.  Maybe the bed is just too sandy.

The rose is amazing this year --I've never seen it with so many blossoms at once.