Woofie, it has just been a warm year. Winter was exceptionaly warm and snow-less. Spring was early and warmer than normal, too. Summer has been hot. Today was the first cooler day for a while with a high of only 90°. Prior to today, we'd had 12 days in a row of over 90°, with the past 4 days over 100. And high humidity. And with those temps, only a trace of rain so far this month, 1.2" in June... a brutal garden year. Three new corydalis fried. Several clumps of snapdragons fried too. My beautiful gaura is almost fried, has yet to put out a flower this year....
Because of the mild winter, bugs that normally die off, didn't. Bugs are awful. When you walk through our yard, you stir up a cloud of leafhoppers. They've caused aster yellows in at least 3 of my echinaceas. Leafminers are getting things they never touched before, like nicotiana and coleus. Red spider mites cover the foliage on most of my flowers... it's endless.
Karen
