I'm just north of Concord NH. My new perennial bed looked great in spring when the bulbs were blooming but then when thru a dull spell. Now it's showing promise. I had hoped it would be showy for 4th of July company but, oh well. Full sun: several different yarrows beginning including the new all red one, echinacae (one bud blooming, the rest getting ready), clary sage (won't grow again, I remember this biennial as taller and fragrant, this is a dud), shastas, day lilies and one newly planted lupine is putting up a flower stalk. Semi-shaded garden: feverfew, day lilies, primroses (afternoon sun) and spirea just finishing, fringed bleeding heart continuing, hostas putting out flower stalks, monarda just beginning. Palace purple heurchera putting out flower stalk. Perennial yellow foxglove. In addition to late planted annuals, self-sown dark red poppy and calendula (some Flashback) blooming here and there. Old herb bed: nepeta mussini (catmint), lamb's ears. It looks like the astilbe transplanted in 2007 when we moved is being choked out. There are in what was supposed to be a temporary holding bed. I'm behind!

The humidity and the intense sun are just too much. I hear by the weekend we will have much cooler temps. Poor daylily foliage is looking like it is going dormant from lack of enough rain. I'm trying to get all the weeding done so when it does rain, the plants benefit instead of the weeds. Debra: The darn Houzz system just kept trying to load my first try to post. Perhaps too much traffic for their system. Nancy: Yes, I saw your post on my other thread. I have about 5 or 6 of Lori's intros. As you say, nothing fancy but I love the tall scapes and color variety. Mine are monsters already. Kay: I'm trying to decide mostly on which ones to move over to the garden wall area, backyard bed and which to let go. I won't add any daylilies this year till I get the beds reorganized. I am so grateful that you shared a couple of fans of your CLOWN PARADE. It has done really well here over the last couple of years. Many thanks. Sherry: I am bugging my husband about getting several trees planted in the fall. The maple tree we planted in our backyard 20 years ago, is dying. Problem started last year and is getting worse. I've notice others with similar issues in different parts of the area. Also a pine tree in the backyard got damaged with the snow/ice storm and we had to have it taken down in the spring.

Some folks are born, made to wave the flag, Oooh they're red, white, and blue And when the band plays Hail to the Chief Oooh they point the canon at you. It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no senator's son It ain't me, it ain't me, I ain't no fortunate one. And on a less cynical note:

Haven't seen the others so hope this wasn't duplicated...something so powerful about this melody... "Then I see a land Where children can run free"