By Jon Stanton

The weather this spring and summer has been brutal on my garden, and I don’t like it.

While Nebraska weather is often unpredictable, I can usually count on spring being a little bit wet and summer being dry and hot. This year spring was record-breaking wet and summer stayed cool for much longer than usual until temps suddenly soared into the 90s and beyond. 

I have a container garden, since I don’t have space in my backyard for a traditional garden. I also have sundry flowers and flower beds spread throughout our yard. This year, my plants have required more care and attention than usual. I have found myself taking measures to protect them from flooding rains, fungal plagues, squirrels, birds, and blazing 100-plus degree sunlight. In each situation, my response was different depending on the plant and the dilemma.