101 Degrees this afternoon. I took these pictures at 6:30 AM. They were toasted by 5 PM. A Pinky Winky Hydrangea actually burned today.

I love classic Stargazers. The group this year is rather weak and the flowers very small. It's time to dig them up and rework this bed. It's just not as showy as I'd like.

The Salmon Stargazers are in the same predicament. Maybe the early heatwave zapped them.  The Nippon Lily in the back has deformed and burnt blooms.  Even though these images look nice the flowers are much smaller than years past.

Cleome growing in the mulch pile.

Hibiscus Peppermint Schnapps was a great buy. This is a two year old plant, about 6 feet tall with 20 or so buds ready to bloom. Japanese beetles love hibiscus so I was happy get this shot before they found it.

I'm sorry to announce the death of my amazing Monkshood (Aconitum napellus) bed. They took three years to mature into a perfect grouping. No sagging, no yellowing, strong stems. I was thrilled because I knew the fall blooms would be stellar. Well... our dog chased a groundhog into the bed and destroyed everything. It was devastating.

This is what they destroyed. 

And this ...