Planning for the fall

I don't yet have a year's neglect fixed, I have loads of summer tasks ahead of me, and it's crazy to think about autumn, and yet I toured Sister #2's perennial garden today so I could pick out what I wanted her to give me in the fall, when one transplants perennials. She has about six hosta varieties and six sedums, some lovely red yarrow, but I'm not sure I have sun enough for all of it yet.

I also liked her Plumbago. ("Lumbago?" I asked. "Isn't that a disease?" No, PLUMBago.)

I found three roses in the round bed I need to rescue before I tear everything else up (and probably follow that up with a chemical weeder, and I know, that's awful...but far easier than weeding every week!)

Weather is back to crazy hot and humid. There were only the two nice days, and the whole rest of the time (three weeks) I've owned the house, work has been ... well, WORK! Mowing in 95 degrees and 85% humidity is not for someone my age.

Today's tasks were cut short by a day of thrift store shopping, but I moved dried grass to the compost bin, moved piles of still green cut grass to the drying shed, and watered all the perennials, hanging plants, and vegetables well. I can (barely) get by with watering every two days in this heat, but only that long.

Finally, my patio. Yews, lots of concrete, the shed (which I'm only using for grass drying so far), a bluebird house (a gift from my only remaining aunt), and a lone cherry tomato plant.