With the start of July and hundred degree heat looming within days, the garden is as lush (and overgrown) as ever. In addition to the decades of growth and my annual over planting, this is due to recent storms that have encouraged another flush of growth.

I’m pleased that the garden has been directly in the path of storms, though we have narrowly missed the worst that damaged many properties not too far away. I see a single dead tree that fell into the garden from the neighboring forest. A large plastic container full of small rocks is crushed beneath the fallen trunk, but there is no damage to the garden.

In the lower rear garden, the over exuberance is exaggerated by a number of baptisias (Baptisia australis) that arch even further following the recent rainfall. Still, there are small gaps where Obedient plant (Physostegia virginiana) spreads into and Fleabane (Erigeron, below) seedlings appear.

In the recent two weeks while Barbara and I traveled, a tall, what I thought to be a weed appeared beside the path. Often, I can not distinguish emerging perennials from weeds, so I err by letting them grow for a bit. I certainly did not plant the Blue vervain (Verbena hastata, below), and would not have planted it within inches of the path. Before we departed, the verbena was probably inches tall, with similar foliage to neighboring perennials. Today, it’s grown to five feet with stems that are likely to topple in summer storms. But, how beautiful?

If the Blue vervain bends to obstruct the path, I’ll prune it and in late summer I’ll move it to another damp spot nearby where it will have more support. This is a welcome addition.

In years past, the white coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea ‘White Swan’, above) have seeded into a confined area, but this year seeds have been carried a bit further down the slope. A few young plants carry on with white flowers, but most are the coneflower’s typical pink-purple. The pollinators appear to have no preference for color, and I’m happy to spread the cheer of summer blooms.

I’ve tossed seed of the garden’s Blackberry lilies (Iris domestica, above) into small damp spaces in the rear garden. Most seedlings compete with neighbors, but one clump growing beside the drainage depression has grown with surprising vigor. Along with nearby Japanese irises that now obstruct the path, it is likely to be dug and moved, or possibly some sections will be potted to share.