More heat, no rain

It is sounding like a broken record (for those of you who know what vinyl sounds like when it's broken) with our weather in Southern Wisconsin.  There is no vacation time without lining up a neighbor to tend to the garden while you are not.  Clouds built up on the horizon Friday to give some a tease while most sat dry after they passed.
I have found it necessary to take two things with me while watering.  I need a bucket to pull the weeds as the ground gets soft from the water and scissors to dead head everything that is going into survival mode and trying to produce seed.
Normally a single cutting on my herbs prevents them from flowering and seeding.  I think this is the fourth time I have trimmed the thyme, oregano, and mints this year...so far.
It is also necessary to dead head flowering annuals so they do not give up and stop flowering all together.  If plants start putting the effort into seeding, they slow or stop producing flower heads.
I have seen large amounts of seed production by trees this year.  Everything is going into survival mode by trying to reproduce.  The linden trees produced the largest seed brackets I have ever seen.  They looked like large white flowers laying around the trees and in the streets.  They sure have blown around in the wind with the large sails they have on their seeds.
If the grass is yellow but the weeds are green it is all about the roots.  Many weeds have a good tap root and are pulling up moisture from levels below the grass zone.  Some of the really annoying ones like burdock and thistles can be stopped in their tracks before they seed over your whole garden.  They are starting to flower now so cut them down to the base.  This will kill the plant all together in most cases.  Stop weeds from seeding whenever possible.  If you don't have time to weed the whole garden, pull out the ones that are flowering and seeding first. Do what you can as you can to save yourself from a bigger problem later.
If you are on water restrictions or your well just can't keep up anymore set your priorities in the garden.  Save the trees first.  Shrubs are easier to replace and will grow to size much more quickly than your shade trees.  I would save my vegetable garden before my flowers.  Grass is on the bottom of my list.  Choose wisely.