Silverkelt, hang in there, girl, it's always something! You'll overcome it, and then next year comes along... for us in Texas, we finally got rain, but it's July with hot weather, no rain, etc., etc. and it will only get worse!!

We had the same kind of year. No winter, one month of spring, then temps in the mid nineties with humidity through the roof. Then after all the blooms were fried, temps dropped back down, but it was to late for the flowers. Then Debbie blew through with her wind, rain and tornadoes. We have been in a several year drought, and after all the rain, every weed seed that hadn't sprouted in the last few years exploded at the same time. Kind of overwhelming. But you know the gardener's lament, wait until next year.

In Illinois, we had no winter to speak of...very mild temps and little snow. Some of the roses never even lost their leaves. March roared in with 80-degree temps and roses leafed out, hydrangeas that usually lost canes due to winterkill started swelling, and the garden was full of promise. We had soft spring rains and my garden had never looked better; I virtually had no winterkill on the roses and no canker to prune off. Life was grand. Then Mother's Day weekend, we had a killing frost. Hydrangeas wilted, astilbe froze, and lots of perennials turned to slime. Thankfully just a few rose tips were froze.

Fast forward to July. We are facing one of the worst droughts since 1987, with some of the highest temperatures since 1987-88. NOAA forecasts for rainfall are dismal for Illinois through Fall. Coupled with one of the worst JB infestation ever, and RRD losses mounting, my banner year for gardening is a dim light in the rear-view mirror. And yes, I do subscribe to the gardener's lament...there's always next year.

The weather is really out-of-wack. It is all very confusing. From a climate perspective I think we in CA have had it on the easier side. Late rains brought a lot of BS and rust to gardens that never had it. My foliage looks the least healthy of my few gardening years, this year. After tons of aphids the last 2 years, I had almost none this year (?). But it's the gophers that I'm fighting this year, not bugs or disease. They just found my garden this year, and they are unstoppable. After trying many eradication methods, I'm finally resigning to digging up, one by one, over who knows what timeframe, and caging my roses. I have done my first 3 in the last few days and for the first time in months, feel like at least they are safe. Now only a little over 80 to go...

Those of you with gophers have my deepest sympathy. I'm not sure I could fight that fight.

We've had a very unusual spring and early summer in Sweden, too. It has been the rainiest June in Stockholm since 1786 when records started. I have had a little less rain than that, 50 miles to the north, but still much more than we are used to here on the east coast where we are usually in rain shadow, much like East Anglia in UK. My garden looks positively English or PNW, so lush. I lost one single rose this last winter, an HT, quite unprecedented luck. It has been cold so blooming was late but has exploded these last few days.

I have had an enormous onslaught of bugs of every kind, old and new. I am beginning to be quite fond and tolerant of the old and familiar bugs. I know how to deal with them. I don't expect to get any cherries, pears or apples this year, all trees are disfigured by horrid bugs. I am not alone, the neighbours have the same problems which brings us together. Every day we meet over the hedge with fresh examples of disgusting bugs never seen before. The latest pest is Psylla buxi, box sucker, one I cannot share with the neighbours. I have been glad not to have any box in the neighbourhood because of the dreaded box blight but this new pest is not nice either but hopefully not fatal.

But the roses are more beautiful and plentiful than ever. Secret Garden Musk Climber is an octopus and covers a large area. I have never expected much from it, in fact, I never expected it to live at all and still regard it as an experiment.