I gotta guy for ya

Well Pardon this Gardener as I take a moment to talk about custom playhouses, decks,etc.   My dear friend Mike is an excellent craftsman and does incredible work.  So if you are looking at putting in a playhouse/fort a deck or enclosed porch and happen to be in the West Suburban Chicago area , in Chicago parlance, I gotta guy for ya. 

And now for something completely different.  We had a lot of rain pass through the area yesterday.  Established perennials, trees and shrubs can cope with some heavy rain and standing water so they should be fine. However, if you planted any annuals in pots or in the ground, chances are your annuals have been swamped with more water than there new root systems can handle.  If you have annuals in pots and the water hasn't drained through, tilt the pots and drain them as well as you can.  If you have some play sand or vermiculite handy try mixing some in the top 2" inches of the soil to help pull some of the excessive moisture from the roots.  You can do the same for any bedding annuals you may have planted.  Good Luck & Happy Gardening!