Let me tell you about the garden this week (like I always do).

We’ve had some genuinely lovely weather for the past week or so, plus measurable rain.  In the paradise of full sun and a little extra water, the cosmos seized their moment.  It’s a riddle how something so feathery and delicate can be so damn tough.  The zinnias have put on thick moptops in raspberry or magenta or orange, while others are satisfied with their single corona of petals around a center of fluffy stamens.  Some of the dahlia seedlings are just starting to bloom, each one a surprise if not a treasure.  I dug out the achillea (yarrow) because it’s too spread-y for my limited space.  Bye-bye potential troublemaker.

And then there’s the asters – Janina Salmon.  I admit I thought they were mums, but I stand delightfully corrected.  I sowed the seed on April 8.  Four months doesn’t seem like too long to wait for all these petals, does it?  The plants themselves are mighty pretty – bushy with long arms, each topped with a concentration of green and petals, ripening.

Now, we’ll see what happens.  I watered for over 2 hours on Saturday to try to help them get ready for the heatwave that settled in today. Soaking the roots with the hose right along the ground, moving it just a few inches at a time, I gave the whole 100 square feet the longest drink I could manage.

It’s not supposed to 99 degrees in Wisconsin.  Ever.  Except we’ll hit that this week.  I bet the cosmos can handle it.