The height of summer?

Really, summer is just in its' infancy here in Rhode island but not so the perennials.  Many are blooming two weeks ahead of schedule.  The astilbe are in full bloom right now at the end of June.  Last year's photo record shows them in full bloom on July 11th.
  Sure, the blooms last a while but by July 11th, the color on these will have faded especially if the hot weather continues.  
I am also having to contend with more weeds which seem to be running rampant as evidenced by the walkway in the above shot taken just today.   The coneflowers are just coming into bloom
and the Persicaria polymorpha
is already dropping petals. The long border looked like this
last June and this June it looks a bit fuller. 
These were taken on the same day of the year, one year apart.  We did have hot, sticky humidity and temperatures in the 90's the last two days and both push the flowers into an early grave.  Many gardening friends have mentioned to me that their plants are larger and fuller this season than in past years.  We did have some warm weather early in the season which was followed by cooler temperatures.  I would suggest that the early warmth heated the ground just a bit more quickly than in past years which allowed the roots of many perennials to start growing a bit earlier than usual.  Whatever the reason,  borders are full and lush and while it may seem to be the height of summer, summer has barely begun.  It begs the question, what is in store for August here in New England?  Has it been a normal season in your area?