Look up the likely date of last frost. That will tell you what you can plant now. I'm guessing that your date of last frost is pretty soon, so instead of planting frost tolerant winter veggies, which might not like the heat, you just wait a month or so and then put in summer veggies. Amend your soil now! The nurseries know. If your last frost date hasn't happened, they won't be selling summer veggie seedlings. Whether to direct seed outside, or grow seedlings to transplant outside is very much a matter of the plant. Big seeds for large veggies (squash beans, etc.) do OK direct seeding. Small seeds for large veggies (tomatoes, peppers, etc. usually don't).

I hear you on the boxwoods but to be honest if they don't come back I'll probably just have to replace them. They're just so big and overgrown and when I try to cut them back there's no foliage left. I wish the walk was out further or they had planted them somewhere else. Regarding the viburnum.. it's just too big and taking over. I hate to say I'm going to make believe I'm an artist and try to make it look different and maybe it will die ...maybe it won't ...my biggest fear if it does die is how I would ever get that thing out of the ground.... again I wish it could have been planted somewhere else.

Rain is unpredictable if you were thinking the rain would suffice to water it in after applying. It would be better if you maintained control over that process. Chemical fertilizers need to be watered in so the morning dew isn't the first moisture it sees. So if you fertilized on Sunday in anticipation of rain on Monday afternoon, it's already too late because of the Monday morning moisture. Then if the Monday afternoon rain doesn't come or it's edged into Tuesday, it just gets worse.

Oh, she is really beautiful!!! Truly! Great job on getting through the hard part. I like what Kristine said...may you always be the best of friends!! Try and take it easy...get lots of rest.