Today in my garden

Here's what's happening in my gardens today...I planted Mark's Prickly Pear Cactus he picked out at Gilbertie's Nursery in Westport last weekend. And we learned it's hardy and will survive our winters and come back every year. Pretty cool. I also planted the other plant we bought -- I don't know its name but it's a succulent that looks like a bunch of green sticks. Only a 9 year old boy could love it. We learned it's not hardy in Connecticut so we'll have to bring it in once it gets cold. I'll post a picture of it soon. I also found Mark's one tree -- the dwarf conifer we planted in one of his rock gardens I posted about already -- dead and beyond recovery. The persistent and so intense heat we've had killed it. It was in a rock garden with succulents that don't need much water, so I let it go too long, and well, guess I should have gotten more water around it! My white 'David' phlox is coming into full bloom right now, and my 'Summer Snowflake' viburnum is blooming like crazy. The goldenrod is about to bust open with its bright yellow blooms that the bees love, and the butterfly bush is going strong and starting to bring the butterflies. The black eyed susans are full of happy blooms, and the dahlias are still blooming -- their buds are smaller in this heat, but they're still going and they'll give me big fat blooms in the fall once it cools down some. Oh, and the yellow jackets love the little water bowl on a post I have in my back garden! They are loving their daily baths and drinks, and it makes me realize how much our bees need water, too! The pots are still going crazy, and I'm hoping that first meal of fertilizer I gave them today will keep them going through the heat in August and on into fall. That's about it for today. This is the time of year I get really tired of the garden. It looks bleached out and overgrown and I just want to let it go. But I know once it's cooled off in September, I have lots of digging up and moving to do, so I have to stay inspired until then. Luckily, the late summer bloomers keep me interested and excited until fall....