Now we’re cooking!! Mother Nature must have gotten fed up listening to us complaining about the cool spring, so she turned up the heat. We have also been getting some much needed rain. Just a little almost daily. The garden could still use more, but it is a start.

The last week and a half of 80* temps have really helped the pond plants along. The lotus are beginning to shoot up leaves left and right and the hardy water lilies are also beginning to bloom.

Hardy Water Lily ‘Florida Sunset’…one of my favorites!	Hardy Water Lily ‘Florida Sunset’
Hardy Water Lily ‘Florida Sunset’	Hardy Water Lily ‘Colorado’

The heat also arrived just in time for the tropical lilies. We have a few day bloomers in now and the night bloomers plus some more day bloomers will be here later this week.

Spotted Hawk Weed (Hieracium maculatum ‘Leopard’) has really neat purple marbled foliage. The low rosette of leaves shoots up wiry stems of bright yellow, daisy-like flowers all summer. Hawk Weed likes full sun and tolerates dryness once it is established. It will reseed if it is happy. Easy to grow and very hardy.	Allium
The Bearded Iris were about a week late this year and the show was short lived…probably because of the heat.	This variegated Plume Poppy showed up in the patch by the deck. Plume Poppy (Macleaya cordata) is a large and vigorous plant, but makes a dramatic backdrop or screen. The standard green leafed form is neat, but a variegated form would make a bold stand and possibly not be such a pesky grower. My luck this variegated plant will turn green or else I’ll end up killing it!

You can see some other pictures from the past two weeks in the June 2005 gallery.

Allegan Fog is a very showy plant. It grows fast and looks good most of the summer. The green specks in the leaf become heavier as the season goes on, until the white center is mostly pale green.	Alligator Shoes has been a slow grower for me, but is starting to look great. The pointed leaves develop a nice bumpy texture. The upright mound works well with smaller, low growing hostas like Mack the Knife (shown in front).
Praying Hands is possibly the most un-hosta like hosta out there. People seem to like it as much for the name as they do for the unique shape.	Reptilian is another plant that has taken forever to come into its own. Definitely worth waiting for, though…the wavy edges and heavily puckered leaf make a great combination!