This is the summer of thunderstorms, followed by yet more thunderstorms. The storms on Monday night we’re particularly bad in my area and we are lucky that we escaped with only a little bit of damage.

A big tulip poplar in the woods, decided she would shed a few limbs. She shut them on one of the Woodland and shade beds. I have been working to establish the past few years. And once I reach the edge of the woods, it can be very difficult on some of these plants, and because of the drought that was experienced earlier and last year I have a lot of things I didn’t survive that will eventually require replanting.

So I had to play Paul Bunyan in my woods. They don’t let me play with power tools, so I had the industrial sized loppers cutting up small tree, bits and limbs that weren’t particularly big, and then shifting/dragging the big limbs as much as I could to get them off of my plants.

My next step will be having my friendly neighborhood arborist. Come take a look at the tree itself when he has a minute to breathe, because there are so many people that had so much damage after this storm. truthfully, up a bit on the main road our road comes off of it. Still blocked with a fallen tree and wires.

I have much gardening that needs to be done, and I have been trimming the past few days. Later this afternoon, I have to get off my derrière and feed my roses again. And there is one rose I am worried about because I swear I have been cutting off some funny limbs that look like rosey rosette disease. In order to maintain the health of my other roses, I’m just going to have to remove the plant altogether and it’s a shame because it is a glorious rose. It’s a David Austin called “England’s Rose.” I will replace it with an antique rose, a bourbon, I believe. I find myself once again, seeking out antique roses, because they are just more hardy.

My garden is still blooming with crazy, wild abandon, which really makes me happy. And it’s like three weeks ahead of schedule, but my Franklinia tree is already blooming.

How does your garden grow?