Happy Summer!

Happy Summer! Or should I say happy sizzling summer? It's been in the 90s, and we're in a severe drought. I've been trying to water the bare minimum, and I fear our water bill will be expensive because the rain barrels are not re-filling. But I've been watering my strawberries. Despite two droughts and being trampled by foxes, I'm enjoying homegrown strawberries. I did have a few moments of wondering if they are worth all the work, including making sure the netting doesn't blow away, but when I'm eating those berries, the answer is yes! 

Below is a native coreopsis. The hybrid has finished blooming.

The first of the daisies I planted from seed are blooming. 

Yesterday I trimmed off the garlic scapes. This is the "before" photo below. See the curl at the top of the plants?  I'll use them to make a garlic spray. 

The hibiscus I trimmed back in April is bloomed yesterday (below). I'm glad I trimmed it back earlier as it seems to take two months to recover.

The lemon thyme blooms later than the regular thyme, but it could be location...one is in the front, one in the back of the house.

I've been making sure the shrubs get an inch a week (below). Yes, the grass looks dead. 

Below is a view of the vegetable garden with the strawberries in the upper left and weeds scattered throughout. 

I took a photo of the deck after our rain on Sunday (below). The geraniums look healthy and lush. 

Below is a bee flying over blanket flower.

The clearance elderberry survived and has two flower, which are quite pretty. I'll trim them off so the energy goes to the roots instead of berries.

I believe this is a swallowtail caterpillar below.

The prairie smoke below has earned its name.

This may be the only flower I get on the rose (below) because the foxes trampled it, and I haven't been picking off the caterpillars because it's been too hot. This is another one of those plants that I wonder if it's worth the work...but then I see the flowers.

The photo below is from June 10th, a nice mix of chives, Siberian iris, dianthus, native phlox, and lupine foliage.