Sweltering & Sweaty

The lilies (Lilium sp.) are starting to bloom although I don't know what variety this one is above in our woodland walk. There are so many wonderful perennial lilies for our gardens, it's tough to make a decision when selecting them. Last year we had a couple hundred lily bulbs donated (including the variety above) and we are really seeing the impact that they can have in the summer garden. Nice shot below (taken today) of a Louisiana iris (Iris louisiana) in our Japanese garden. The label is incorrect for this one so I'm not sure about the exact variety but all of our irises should be done by next week with this heat wave. The iris collection looked great and we're looking forward to the display next spring too!
It was brutally hot and muggy today. We had some ladies working over in our vegetable collection this morning and Mary J. came back to do some more weeding. Donna worked on purslane too. Everyone (Marv, Marianne, Terry, Janice, Larry, Jerry) had various tasks that included watering or fertilizing. Terry planted a couple items but our intent was to keep things wet and to tidy up here and there. We'll work on more planting tomorrow and Friday if the weather allows. Larry and Bill cut down, diced up and hauled off three small trees that needed removal. Dr. Gredler mowed and worked on some small projects. It was a productive day despite the oppressive heat. I was able to do two more backpack sprayer loads of Round-up around the gardens and even went thru the woodland walk garden very slowly to target an influx of nasty weeds between our "desireables." There is a chance of rain tonite which would be great although we never count on it and continue to water based on immediate needs, not possibilities...Nice shot of 'King Tut' papyrus (Cyperus papyrus 'King Tut') in a container on our koi pond patio (note the pergola in the distance). I sure like this centerpiece in larger containers. This is three of them crammed together in the center. They should get well over 7' tall this summer and of course are seasonals.