Gardens can be a source of despair at this time of year.  The lush green explosion of only a month ago has given way to bedraggled gasping.  Here in Poolesville, we have not only been enduring unusually hot and dry conditions, but also a powerful storm over the weekend.  Wind speeds of 60 miles per hour made a mess of already limping yards and gardens.  Masses of broken limbs and buffeted leaves littering lawns provided the perfect encouragement to clean up the Garden.  Late July is a perfect time to tidy up the garden, cutting back plants that are finished blooming or have become straggly; pulling out annuals that have outgrown their attractiveness; and filling in spots with a planting for renewed energy.  University of Maryland's Cooperative Extension service runs a program specifically for edible gardening called Grow It, Eat It; this month, their page offers some coping tips for this hot, dry weather: http://www.growit.umd.edu/index.cfm.  Take a look around your own garden: what can you do to give it a jolt of energy?