Hot & Sunny

The morning was pleasant enough but it became quite hot by lunch time. I really shouldn't complain as this is one of only a handful of days thus far this summer that have become "uncomfortable". There is still a nice breeze but now with the sun and heat, our watering duties have increased. Little Jerry and I ran irrigation all day to keep things damp. We hate seeing visitors having to avoid sprinklers but the other option is having visitors look at shriveled plants... Nice shot above taken this morning of a view in to our Japanese garden. I love that Tiger Eyes sumac (Rhus typhina 'Bailtiger') on the left that will also get a nice reddish/orange fall color. It does spread and get tall but is a great textural and colorful addition around the gardens. Below is a shot of our rose garden with pergola in the background. This is a very popular wedding site.
Today was fairly light in terms of staff and volunteers (as are most Tuesdays) but we accomplished many tasks, not the least of which was significant watering. Janice watered early, did all the push mowing and worked on some weeding. Little Jerry mowed the arboretum and larch area then worked on some other pruning projects. Jenny came in today and worked over six hours on catching up with labels for various garden areas. She has really perfected her label making and we think alike in terms of layout. She is a huge asset. Rose worked on repainting the bench lettering while Kay and Barb weeded in separate areas and later worked together in the shade garden. Barb really did a nice job refining a bed while Kay went thru our annual beds near the building and caught the third wave of weeds. Mary, Dr. Yahr, Dr. Gredler, Maury and Gary were here to help and the "fence crew" (Dick P., Dick H., John and Rollie) continued their project with very visible progress. A little rain would sure be nice. I'm presenting (container gardening) at a UW-Extension field day at Boerner Botanical Gardens (Hales Corners, WI) all day tomorrow but will return for our public "open house" and tours. Nice shot of the perennial black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia fulgida var. sullivantii 'Goldsturm') below. What a strong performer. Be wary in damper soils as it does form a significant colony but is easy to divide and relocate in my opinion.