New blooms continue to arrive although it is amazing in this continuous heat with a lot less moisture. Noticeably the Sweet Pea stems are only about two inches long and I keep removing them in the hopes that, when eventually, we have a break, they may do better. The regular size Zinnias are the same, tiny, despite regular watering. At this time last year I had plentiful tall Cosmos with large blooms but this year they are only now beginning to flower and the flowers are small . I wonder if that too is the heat or the fact that I used seed from last year’s blooms.

The Bee Balm, Monarda is still ablaze just like some of the fires we dread at this time of year. When we moved here fifty years ago forest fires were never top of mind for months on end like they are now. We never experienced smoky sky warnings or this extreme heat. The summers were reliably warm and sometimes hot. I keep telling my gardening self that I must adapt and change what I grow but it is not easy to let go in my now established garden.

In contrast to the fiery red Bergamot the white dahlia has opened as has the ‘Viginalis’ pond lily. The few goldfish we now have are surviving. We had many more but they too suffered in the warmer water last year so caution is used in adding more. If some of these pictures are repeats it is because they are still blooming!

From the garden: