First 100 Degree Day of the Year

Another HOT night watering the dahlia garden! We hit 100 degrees today. In the good news category, there was a layer of cloud that had rolled in by the time we started watering. In the bad news department, it made for a very muggy, sticky evening. Fortunately, there were lots of dahlias blooming. That helped to keep our mind off of the heat.

A "new-to-me" variety - "Kelsey Annie Joy". The pink petaloids are pretty striking against the yellow/orange petals.

Another new one for me - "Appopa Beauty". I really like this one.

"Valley Porcupine" a novelty form in a light blend of pink and white.

"Ryecroft Dave's Choice" a miniature sized white formal decorative.

"Porcelain", a white waterlily. Mine has a strong blush of lavender.

"Tahoma Alicia" a miniature ball in dark pink. It is the Flower of the Year this year down at the Roseburg show. It is an early bloomer so I am not too confident that I will still have blooms to show at the end of September.

"Kathy's Choice" a miniature sized cactus in yellow. I am so glad to be growing this variety again this year.

"Camano Cloud" a BB sized semi-cactus in Pink. 

My two plants are just covered in beautiful blooms right now.

I am astonished at how many dahlia are already blooming. I don't know if it is the warm weather we have had this Summer, or some other factor. But I can't remember the last time I have had this much color this early. And look - no weeds!

My "Pam Howden" waterlilies are also gorgeous right now.

"Lakeview Glow" is our Flower of the Year in Lane County. It is another early bloomer, so it will be interesting to see what the plants look like in another 5 weeks.

"Easter Bonnet", a lavender and white collarette.

After we finished watering for the evening, we sat out on the back patio. The Eastern sky turned dark. We saw multiple flashes of lightning and heard the distant sound of thunder. At the same time, the Western sky was awash in shades of yellow and orange as the sun set. As we went in for the night, a few light raindrops began to fall.