Believe it or not, it's now officially summer!

Yes, the official first day of summer landed on June 20 this year. But, it looks like dear old Mother Nature did it to us again with another cold and wet spring. Several records were broken as it rained 11 of the first 13 days in June. It didn't stop there either. I sure hope the ducks were happy. Nobody else was.

No doubt you've all had a tough time getting your gardens and flowerbeds planted. Luckily, we growers don't give up easily. The cold ground rotted a lot of seeds and many tender plants bit the dust as they just could not handle being outside in the cold weather even though we were well past our usual last frost date.

There were some exceptions though. Both azaleas and rhododendrons had a great spring. They probably thought they'd been moved to Seattle!

If you've never tried growing a rhododendron, give it a try. It's not that difficult ... if you keep a few things in mind.

1. Choose a good location. They do best with early morning sun and afternoon shade. A spot under trees that have been limbed up works well too.

2. Be sure to adjust your soil as they need an acidic one. Most of the soils in our area are neutral. At planting time, add peat moss. Then once a year, sprinkle granular sulphur pellets around the surface. Don't dig in as roots are easily damaged.

3. Fertilize lightly once or twice a season with a kind that is specifically formulated for acid loving plants. This is best applied during May and June following package directions.

4. Rhodies are shallowed rooted, so they need to be kept moist year around. As evergreens, they can also suffer during winter months if the ground dries out beneath them. You will notice the leaves hanging down pathetically. A good drink will perk them up.

5. They need good drainage or their roots can rot so avoid or amend clay soil.

6. To keep the shrubs from drying out, put a 2- to 3-inch layer of mulch around the plant, a couple of inches out from the stem.

I've been reading about butterflies lately. One thing I hadn't thought about is the conflict with feeding the birds. Birds will naturally eat every one of their life stages, from the eggs to the actual butterfly. Time to flip a coin, heads: feed the birds, tails: raise butterflies. Tough choice.

The Monarch butterflies are having a rough time surviving. These are the ones that winter in Mexico and spend their summers in the Midwest states. Evidently, their main food source, milkweed plants, have been almost totally killed off by the use of herbicides such as Roundup. This is happening mostly in those states that grow thousands of acres of corn. The chemical companies are making a fortune from the sales, but losing the Monarchs seems to be a very steep price.

Most of us flower growers plant both perennials and annuals. This combination works well as the perennials come up so quickly in early spring and are in bloom long before most annuals have reached maturity. Three of the most dependable perennials are peonies, irises and daylilies. All of these can grow in abandoned lots with no human care for decades. All they need is sunshine and rain.

As for the annuals, there are too many to count. I like to try at least one new one each year. There are two petunia varieties available now that are truly black. One is called Black Velvet and is a solid black. The other is called Phantom and is black with a narrow yellow star on each blossom. They both look great with yellow companion flowers.

Here's more good advice. "Thou shalt rest on the seventh daisy." Works for me.

Elaine Cerny has gardened most of her life, starting in 4-H. Since then, she has always kept a garden of some sort, growing everything from fruits and vegetables to flowers and house plants. She has belonged to garden clubs in three states and is an active member of the River City Gardeners Club in Post Falls.