Summer arrived with a bang; griping about it being too cool, and suddenly we are hit with 99-degree temps. Some of the plants are just lovin' it (still benefitting from the rain) and some of the potted plants are wilting over even if I just watered them the day before... sheesh. Oh well, this is only my little yard, not the Garden of Eden -- and I certainly am not Eve, LOL!
Not much is happening in the "pond"; much of the water has already evaporated due to the heat, and I moved the barrel a few feet over because it looks as if the plants haven't been getting enough light. As soon as things settle, I will move the fish in. Oh, and the Green Envy echinacea is growing, and looks like buds are forming!
There was an article in "Chicagoland Gardening" magazine on combining flowers that blend, or in many cases, contrast well with each other. In this article, I found another plant to lust after --- last month it was the Green Envy Echinacea, this time it is Rudbeckia Prairie Sun; a "black-eyed Susan" that isn't black-eyed at all, but green-eyed --- with two-toned petals of yellow and orange. A striking plant that is a tender perennial; it may or may not survive the winters here, but it may well re-seed itself. In the example, it looks striking combined with purple or blue flowers, of which my latest complaint in my front flower bed is that I have too much purple and blue... so I am on a quest to fine R. Prairie Sun and brighten things up with this unusual plant! See it photographed here:
http://www.whiteflowerfarm.com/77672-product.html
Not much is happening in the "pond"; much of the water has already evaporated due to the heat, and I moved the barrel a few feet over because it looks as if the plants haven't been getting enough light. As soon as things settle, I will move the fish in. Oh, and the Green Envy echinacea is growing, and looks like buds are forming! 
The catmint has perked up considerably
View from the end of the raised bed: veggie garden
Sugar-snap peas (and bush beans behind) 
My Lupines... they started out as multi colored, but now all of them are purple; still, they are quite attractive... I only wish they bloomed longer. Some people can't grow them for some reason, but for me, they grow as weeds in my flower bed; literally, I have to pull many of them up and throw them away, for they reseed themselves and take over the place.
Some daisies... a new addition
Also a new addition, the correopsis... had to add some brighter color,
The blue Thingamabobs are doing well this year
Monarda close up
