Summer Blues

This is my least favorite time of year as a flower gardener. The stifling heat of late July and August make working outdoors almost as much of a chore as a pleasure. Thankfully, early morning and late afternoon still are manageable, especially since the drought has brought an unexpected blessing - almost NO mosquitoes.

If our flower beds were as lush and pretty as they were a month ago, I might be more tolerant of the heat. But many of our plants look wilted and scorched around the edges and kind of sad, leaving me feeling much the same. I'm using this time as a planning period. I look at the beds where I could have made better choices and think about what plants I'll move elsewhere this fall and what I might replace them with. I think about all the bulbs scattered about and how they overpower some beds and how nice it might be to build a bulb bed. And best of all, I think about the raised beds my husband will build for me soon for a fall and winter garden.

Sweet anticipation is the salve for the cuts and bruises we gardeners endure.