Last year there were very few hydrangea flowers. They had budded and were hit with a late freeze. They seem to be making up for it this year. Not only are there tons of buds but some are in full and glorious flower. Check out the ones around the front of Saint Augustine’s Catholic Church on Franklin street. They are particularly nice with the red roses. That combination is also great with the old-fashioned orange daylilies.

Speaking of roses, there are some nice climbers at the end of the Vineyard Haven-Edgartown Road. Also, I like the trellising on the fireplace store in the Woodland complex.

A climbing rose is actually a misnomer. They are officially referred to as long-cane roses. They will not climb without human intervention.

Recently, I worked with a Dr. W. Van Fleet type and am still nursing scratches and removing thorns from my flesh. Apparently, I love the pain as I neglected to wear gloves. It was an ancient specimen requiring a hand saw to remove some of the dead wood.

I hope the Betty Corning clematis at the entrance to Heather Gardens is still blooming by the time this hits the newsstands.

When leaving the store at down-Island Cronig’s there are three nice spireas in one of the planted islands. There is one each of three varieties—Little Princess, Anthony Watera and Gold Flame. The beds there are nicely tended and how nice is it to park in the shade of the solar panels?

When I was on a planting kick in very early spring/late winter, I seeded a couple of packages of lupines in my unheated greenhouse. They came right along and I separated them early on. I always thought they were a biennial so figured they would bloom next spring. Color me pleased, they are blooming now. I guess they “thought” they went through a winter during some of the spring freezes. Do plants think?

My vegetable garden has outwitted me. I cannot keep up even with the picking. Please do not think I am complaining. This is a quality problem that I’m delighted to have.

Coco at Ghost Island Farm told me that Sarah and Rusty have begun harvesting garlic. I pulled a few of mine but found they, while plenty large, have yet to form their paper. Mine need a few more weeks.

Now is the time to eat the scapes. It’s good for the plant to remove them and, wow, are they delicious sautéed. I cut them into one-inch pieces.

I have an inordinate amount of insect pests this year. We’re talking cabbage worms, striped cucumber beetle, Colorado potato bug, squash bugs, and all sorts of slugs, snails and armadillo bugs. The only thing I’ve yet to encounter is a mosquito. Probably next week for them. I have been using Captain Jack’s Dead Bug. It is spinosad and supposedly approved for organic growers.

I cried uncle and had the trees sprayed. OMG. Thousand of dead gypsy moth caterpillars. The spray is also a BT type product. I guess it works by disrupting their digestive systems. This was a first for me but I feared for the trees this year.

I’ve never been one to fall into any sort of depression and believe you me, I’ve had good cause on occasion. I have a couple of philosophies which work for me: “If it can happen, it will” and “play the hand you’re dealt.”

All this may have changed with the election of D.J.T. I’m downright depressed. He is bound and determined to undo everything that Obama did: health care, trade deals, climate change accord, relations with Cuba, and, certainly, a respectable place in the world.

I think he is still angry over the ribbing he took from Obama at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner a few years back. What a poor sport! Can you imagine him as a little boy? Shouldn’t be too difficult. He still is.