No one can deny that we have experienced some wet springs to mid-summers. Official totals of rain and from April 1st through Monday add up to 20.12 inches! Compare that to the area’s average of 14.58 inches over the same time frame. We hope that your gardens haven’t suffered too much damage and that your basements and garages have stayed dry. But given that the thunder will roll and the skies will darken, what can you do as a gardener to mitigate the damage of all of this moisture?

The Dog Days began later than usual this year and don’t end until August 22nd, so there’s still plenty of sultry summer weather in the future. Cicadas and crickets have been singing us to sleep, and nights, though still warm, are noticeably longer. It’s a fact, sad but true. The season of extended summer days never seems long enough, but it’s time for gardeners everywhere to reap what they have sown.

No one wants to be the first to say it, but here we go. The Solstice was four weeks ago and even though the heat of the dog days is in full effect, summer is on the wane. Of course, there are still plenty of things to do in the garden weeding, watering new trees and shrubs, weeding, dividing perennials, more weeding. Not especially inspiring tasks, but so very necessary to the health of our landscapes. Why not take a little break from these mundane, summer chores and do something fun for you and your garden?

When you’re at the Garden Center choosing flowering perennials and annuals for your yard, there are probably many factors that affect your decision. The size of the plants at maturity. The color and time of bloom. Perhaps whether or not the plants will re-flower. These are all qualities that we take into consideration. But let’s throw one more factor into the mix. Do the flowers that you plant attract birds?