And just in time! We were running out of things to complain about, so how about a dose of heat and humidity?    

A lot of folks like the heat, and the heat makes some plants thrive as well. Herbs really develop their flavor in the heat of summer. Basil from the garden is just bursting with flavor. The summer vegetables like peppers really need the heat to flourish, too.      

What would like the heat more than tropicals? Nothing, really. That's why we have beaucoup hibiscus, mandevilla (on sale this week) and other blooming tropicals for deck or patio. If you can't get to the tropics, bring them to you. Get a Hawaiian shirt from your favorite clothier, a mandevilla vine or two for us, and a cool drink from the 'fridge, and you might as well be in Aruba.     

In perennials we go from the spring bloomers to summer bloomers. The summer perennials tend to have much longer bloom seasons than the spring perennials, and we bring in fresh plants all summer long.   Think meadows and prairies and plants like garden phlox, black-eyed susans, purple coneflower, perennial sunflowers, Helen's flower...these will be coming into bloom in June  and July, and they all love sunny locations. We'll be stocking more heavily as they come into bloom. Ornamental grasses add texture and a vertical line, and are indispensible for the casual meadow look.  

In shrubs we have hydrangeas and crape myrtles, for shade and sun respectively, and we always seem to have everyone's favorite, blueberry bushes, in stock.    

Annuals graduate from little spring pots to big summer pots for instant color, and at the end of July, the garden mums start arriving, full of buds and just waiting for late summer and fall to burst into bloom.Annuals make for great combination plantings in your containers, especially when mixed with perennials and tropicals for a really eclectic look.

So come on in to Behnke's at Beltsville, all summer long. We laugh at the heat. We might even laugh at your Hawaiian shirt!!