Weeds and Color

My garden this year is a disaster.  We started out with a busy spring; Patrick’s graduation, helping get him ready to launch and move across the country, then our own scramble to prepare the house for the painter.  Throw in a little rental "turnover" for added excitement and there you have it.  Then I was gone for nearly a month as I traveled to Arizona (to deliver Patrick’s junk to him), visited with family, and drove around checking out property.  By the time I returned to Vermont, it was brutally hot with the requisite insane humidity.  If that wasn't enough to ensure that no garden work got done, it rained almost every day...to the point of flooding.  Needless to say, my garden has been...neglected.

I didn’t get much spring clean up done, no weeding, no Preen-ing, and no mulching.  I haven’t planted ANY annuals for that splash of all-summer color.  My roses have bloomed and “gone over” and several had started to form hips before I could get out there to deadhead and prune.  The peonies, from what I can tell, never bloomed, but that could be because this is their first season.  The weeds have taken over and in many areas are taller and more lush than my flowers.

Fortunately, I did manage to plant some Dahlia tubers (mostly in pots) before I left town.  When I returned, they were just starting to bud (the ones not planted in pots were too close to where the rabbits can reach so we'll see how they do).  I wasn't sure what to expect, but so far I am really impressed.  I can’t wait to see what comes from the other plants as they begin to bloom.

These are the first two to bloom.  Both are roughly the size of my hand.
“Labyrinth” is the peach-colored frilly one and “Blue Belle” is the purple-colored round one.