Summer flowers

The lavender is just beginning to bloom, but some of the warmer weather varieties are just now forming stalks and buds. Since the weather has been a bit cooler this growing season, and winter was colder, there has been a loss on the Provence variety in the garden. As the Grosso flowers and the Hidcote buds the bumble bees are humming much more than last season. There must be 4 times as many bumble bees this year compared to last year. Is this good news for the bee populations? Let's hope the honey bees are thriving, too.