With temperatures in the upper nineties, my labor in sunny areas of the garden will be limited. But, in the heat of the afternoon, I must get out to see the abundant bees and butterflies feasting on nectar in the sunny, lower half of the rear garden.

As always, I’m planting, so recent revisions must be monitored, in sun or shade. Yesterday, I saw that a ‘Lollipop’ verbena (Verbena bonariensis ‘Lollipop’, below) was pulled from the ground. I expect it will fill this small open space with easily managed seedlings a year from now, though this space is more shaded than others where verbenas seed prolifically.

Uprooted by deer? Or rabbits? Such mischief requires a watchful eye, and weeks after planting, newcomers are not yet completely on their own. If storms continue to veer around the garden, the handfuls of new plantings must be given an occasional sip of water. Most often, a thunderstorm comes to the rescue.

While plants pulled from the ground are unusual, I see that several hostas have been chewed. I don’t recall the timing of the last spraying of repellent, and perhaps these few were missed. At one time, I sprayed on the first of each month, nine times each year, but today’s more relaxed schedule often relies on seeing a few munched leaves.

The garden will never be weed free, but some are tolerated. A Joe Pye weed (Eutrochium purpureum, aka Eupatorium, above and below) has poked through an azalea for a few years, and this summer it has gained its full height, towering over the stone path. The azalea underperforms in this spot, so I happily encourage the Joe Pye, only trimming stems that flop to obstruct the path.

Several compact growing Joe Pye (‘Little Joe’) have been planted, but the taller native has seeded into damp soils near the koi pond. In a few days, the flowers will open to attract swallowtails, while bees remain obsessed by flowers of the large patch of Mountain mint (Pycnanthemum muticum, below) with stems that arch over a stone path. This clump must be managed annually to counter its continued spread, and again, I will pull some after flowering. This is a minor task, and Mountain mint is well worth this few minutes of effort.

In my enthusiasm to fill the newly constructed rock garden, several plants were ordered for September delivery without a clue where they could fit in. Never fear, while some plantings are overly vigorous in the gravel and stone, others have proved not to tolerate our humidity and the recent lack of rainfall. I continue to learn, but some disappointment is inevitable in the heat of summer.