Water

For some weeks, I was watering plants. The Illinois drought has gotten so severe that it seems wasteful and probably not efficient to deliver whatever a sprinkler can give. Those poor little roots either have found some way to live on, or are done for. If August is wet and stormy, everything may survive.

Lilies know the difference; they're shorter, their petals are thinner; but they bloom, bless their hearts. Daylilies too are in some cases shorter, but they're blooming. The cimicifuga was far shorter than usual when it bloomed, bloomed much smaller brushes than last year, and is probably hunching down to survive. I have some of last year's brushes on the mantelpiece and they were outstanding in height and fulness. Nothing like this year's.