The heat of the summer has taken a toll on the flowers in my garden.  For the first time the Monarda have tanked in only a few weeks due to the high temperature and heavy rain.  If it were not for the Allium ‘Summer Beauty’ finally coming into bloom, there would be no perennial color at all. 

The handful of spirea are in bloom as they were deadheaded several weeks earlier, however the hydrangeas are gorgeous. For the first time I cut both the ‘Wee White’ and the ‘Limelight’ to put in a vase.  They were such a beautiful combination, which lasted for 3 weeks before turning beige and crunchy.

 Have you tried cutting flowering shrubs to fill your vases during this time of year?