The Garden in early August

Color in the shade garden in August
Originally uploaded by Garden Keeper

It started to rain so I had to cut short my garden work and come back inside. Unlike last year when a drought (and my inattention) devastated the garden, this summer has been quite different. As the Boston Globe noted:

July has secured its place as one of the soggiest and stormiest on record, with double the average rainfall and thunderstorms in Greater Boston for the month, according to the National Weather Service.

Nearly everyday there is a thunderstorm with rain falling violently to the ground. More recently,we have had days that have simply been rain all day.

This has led to a rather lush garden. Of course, the weeds are as healthy as the plants but the plants are ok. A long-standing battle with voles has resulted in the loss of several hosta and some violas. I respond with increased dosages of castor oil but... the war on garden terrorists goes on.