One spot that is looking a little rough is out by the garden shed. I cleaned up the garden the other day but the perennials present are a little worse for wear. The rains knocked the Russian sage around a bit while the Shasta daisy in front was suffering from the three week drought period. Brown petals are a sure sign of not enough water! This garden is way too far in the back to conveniently run hoses or haul buckets of water. I deadheaded and hopefully the Shasta daisy will soon be nice and happy. The rudbeckia never seems to have any trouble!
The weather isn't the only thing that has caused the garden to appear worse for wear. Japanese beetles seem to have a found a fondness for our crape myrtles. I think next year I'll companion plant our crape myrtles with 4 O'Clocks which are poisonous and irresistible to Japanese beetles.
The garden isn't the only thing that appears rough around the edges. Just look at this bumblebee attempting to dry itself out on a Viburnum leaf.
The situation is much the same for this Carolina wren preening on our back deck. Although for some reason I think these creatures welcomed the rain, but maybe that was just me!
