We’ve had lots of rain this week. That’s made it difficult to work outside in the garden, but it’s also kept the temperatures down. So when it’s been dry enough to get out, it’s been rather pleasant.

The rain and cooler temps have breathed new life into the roses. We’ve had many blooms on the Martha Gonzales and on the Mutabilis. Those are the two we planted this spring and they are both still fairly small plants. The two Rouletti roses also have a lot of new flowers. The lantanas are just beginning to bloom. Our vitex trees are still full of blooms which I believe is later in the season than usual for them. This has been the best season I can recall for them. On the other hand, we had almost no flowering on the stand of monarda we have out back. There was a little flowering on a smaller stand in front, but not what there usually is. One of the nice things about keeping a journal like this will be the opportunity to refer back to it in future years to see just when the plants did bloom.

We also have our first sunflower of the summer. I just realized how nice it is to photograph sunflowers. They are just about the same height as I am, so no need to crawl around on my knees and get my trousers all wet and muddy.

This weather has not worked to advantage with our driveway project. It’s been so cloudy and cool that the grass under the plastic has mostly stayed alive so far. I pulled up the plastic yesterday afternoon, mowed the grass down to the lowest setting that the mower could go, and then put it back down.