The title of this week’s column isn’t very hopeful, is it? The extreme heat and humidity of the past week have gotten me down. Like everyone else, I can’t keep up with the watering, although Jim is doing a masterful job of dividing watering time between the house gardens and the vegetable gardens. We are fortunate to have two wells: one for the house and gardens and one for the vegetable garden up in the field. It’s too hot to work outside, even early in the morning, and the weeds are thriving despite the drought. My hydrangea blooms have faded and the edges look crispy. I have lost three small Provence lavenders that I planted in the spring. The Japanese beetles showed up about two weeks ago, but I haven’t seen great numbers of the little pests; I hope it is too hot for them, too. On the bright side, the daylilies are stunning, as were the Asiatic lilies a few weeks ago. The native plants are thriving in the heat. I thinned the rough-stemmed goldenrod and obedient plant last week beca...