Several days ago I heard the weatherman say we are in the dog days of summer. Since I don't have a dog to watch for clues, I guess he just meant that it is hot and humid and we will welcome every shower that comes our way.

It is also the time when the spring gardener often finds too little action in his perennial flower and shrub borders and too many weeds in his vegetable garden.

Mom is pushing ninety-nine and I regularly take her on short rides to see my gardens. Her last ride was August 1.

In the shrub border we saw the hibiscus blooming wildly. She also enjoyed the blooming clethra, vitex, Rose of Sharon, Limelight hydrangea and crape myrtle.

The toughest part with the large flowered hibiscus is to remember that they die back to the ground and are very slow to emerge in the spring. I also sprayed them once for small black beetles but ones that are unsprayed seem equally happy.

Vitex is long blooming, purple, woody and very slow to sprout in the spring. The clethra is native, likes moisture, is fragrant and will tolerate some shade. Expect some winter damage most years on the crape myrtle but this long bloomer re-grows rapidly. The secret is to give crape myrtle lots of light and as much protection from winter winds as possible.

The Rose of Sharon and the Limelight hydrangea will grow almost anywhere they get some sun. I have them in the worst sites for winter wind and they never complain.

In the perennial border we saw the final blooms of the daylilies. The coneflowers, Black-Eyed-Susan's, heliopsis, and balloon flowers are at their peak. Other long bloomers like dicentra exima, coreopsis and scabosia and nepeta are still hanging in there.

I am happy to report that I have good vibes about the new echinacea or coneflowers at this point. My new off yellow and orange varieties are blooming well but may not be quite as rapid growing as their purple cousins. That would be good.

Soon the ornamental grasses will step up to a place of prominence in the garden. If you are thinking ornamental grass, now is a good time to plant it. They like warm soil to get started and early spring and late fall plantings are usually less successful than summer plantings.

In the vegetable garden mom was impressed with the tomatoes, peppers, beans and the dozen large cantaloupes on the two plants my wife planted. I didn't show her the last planting of cabbage and friends that the rabbits have played havoc with.

If you are thinking about more cole crops, now is the time. You have a bit longer with cauliflower and brocolli than cabbage but it's about time to finish. I found the wire fence, now I just have to replant and use it.

Thanks to late arriving furniture from Texas, which gave me houseguests for a week, my vegetable garden is about weed free.

Who needs a dog for dog days? I have my gardens, several cats to patrol them and now regular visits from Buddy the beagle from Texas.