I love it when bearded iris season and rose season arrive together, which isn't always the case here. Often the irises are finished by the time the roses start. Having so little cane die back this year brought earlier blooms on the roses, and I'm seeing an extended first flush because now the new canes arising from the crown are budding heavily.
Japanese beetles are a problem here during summer, usually they emerge in late June or July. For a few years I saw a dramatic reduction in them after using milky spore (an fungal pathogen that attacks JB larvae), but last year they were back in hordes. Last fall and this spring I've applied more milky spore and have my fingers crossed.
