As August grows to a close, the end of summer is drawing ever nearer. At no time during this summer season did the gardens ever come close to drying out. It's been an extremely wet summer this year, not unusual, since it does happen from time to time. No reason to complain either, since the ongoing rains meant that very little hand-watering was required at any time during the summer.

On the other hand, all that rain meant that there was no opportunity for the soil to completely dry out in between rain events. And while in some instances it could be a positive, it could also have a negative impact as well. Garden slugs certainly thrive in these conditions and this year they've made huge strides on our beloved hostas, many of which show signs of having been the focus of evening feasts.

The giant Dahlias I had planted in early spring and had such anticipation for their blooms, took their time, and not all of them placed their energy in the production of flowers. Instead it was the stalks and the foliage that seemed to take benefit from all the water. True, there was no real dearth of sun either, but not as much as had the rain been less in evidence. Several of those dahlias though large and robust, haven't yet flowered; one has no sign yet of setting buds. One has grown to ten feet in height and is only now beginning to flower, while two others have been hard at work flowering for well over a month.

On the positive side, this year both our magnolia trees flowered a second time around; after the first spring flush, summer brought another surprise flush of lovely blooms. The first flush of roses this spring didn't appear as bounteous as years past, but no complaints. And now we see that one of our Japanese quinces has put out a second flush of flowers; surprising since they're in the business of producing fruit. The two tomato vines produced firm and sweet tomatoes a few weeks back, and are now in the process of ripening another batch.

Because it's late in the season, late-season blooms have made their appearance, among them Japanese anemones, asters, ligularia and turtleheads. Even some of the hostas of our many varieties have waited this long in the season to send up their flower heads. Of course, ligularia and hostas are enjoyed for their interesting foliage, much less so for their flowers.

The annuals in the garden pots are looking somewhat peaked. They've been so hard at work for so many months, they're beginning to flag and some are languishing, as is the Phlox. We lost all the lobelia but for one pot a month ago. The petunias are exhausted. The lilies have completed their flowering cycle, but for a few of the Stella d'Oro. Nasturtiums keep flowering everywhere they are busy crowding out other annuals. And the begonias just keep soldiering on.