It’s hot. I think I forget every year how hot it really gets this time of year. My plants are out in this blazing sun all day every day and I’m not sure how they do it. I do know they need lots of water so I am staying busy trying to keep them watered.

I planted four salvia in a row along the curve of our driveway this year. This is the one perennial that I was sure I wanted in this front bed. They are really thriving in this area.The field is doing really well. New this year was separating the rows and leaving grass in-between. I am not sure that I like this new layout as it’s hard to keep the grass along the edges trimmed up. The weed-whipper tears into the fabric and we can’t mow right up against it because its too high. I am considering changing this for next year. Each row is six feet wide and 100′ long. Each row has three rows of drip line and the rows are connected with a buried header-row.The gorgeous Cafe au Lait Dahlia is breaking my heart all over again this year. Unbelievable color and variation in each bloom.This little orange beauty is new to me this year. I love the contrast of the orange blooms and the dark foliage. I’ll have to look up the name of it. Celosia is coming along and forming blooms. I should have a lot more Celosia this year and more variety. This is an Amaranth flower developing. Gorgeous. Queen Anne’s Lace is starting to bloom.Larkspur is almost done blooming. My Gomphrena “Fireworks” is in full bloom right now. Lisianthus is still blooming. I love this flower but I’m not sure that its worth all of the work. I purchased these plugs from Piney Ridge Greenhouse in Johnston, Iowa but they still look a long time to get to this point. Scented geraniums. The field from the other side. How is your yard surviving this hot-hot weather?

Here are a few flower pictures that I shared on Instagram the last few weeks. Make sure to follow me @TheBloomingFarmhouse.