A Summer Morning in the Garden

   From this gardener's perspective, summer mornings in the garden are magical and productive. From a human's perspective, a stroll is good for the soul!

    There truly is nothing better than grabbing that mug of tea or coffee and venturing out into the often dewy grass of morning. Slowly meander around your 'finished' beds, your beds-in-progress and take a deep breath and a deep listen. The birds are wonderfully chatty this time of day; the air smells wonderful. The soft sun has not had its chance to de-saturate a single flower petal and the bugs, aside from a morning-loving bumble bee, have not yet made their presence known. Although still too chilly for butterflies, you may happen across a luna moth resting on a plant from the prior evening & what a treat to behold! Although I never want to stop my stroll, I know that this is also my favorite time of day to do some gardening chores. Rarely too hot, the bugs still asleep, I can effectively get into my beds and stake, deadhead & weed. The parents of my resident House Wren family at the corner of my cottage garden make their presence known, loudly. If the babies hear me they chirp their feed-me chirps and the parents remind me to meander to the other side. I pick up my watering cans and check all my containers and new transplants and pour them all a drink. Last bit of morning fun amongst my flowers is to cut a few stems here & there for a small arrangement to brighten the rest of my day.

   At some point the vegetable/herb garden will need picking and this is the best time for me (again no gnats or mosquitoes). While I have a head of (caffeine-induced?) steam I can have my pesto made and even a few loaves of zucchini bread baked before noon. Come August it gets really busy in the kitchen with so many wonderful varieties of peppers & tomatoes & beans. Right now I am enjoying the kitchen lull & simply revel in how quickly the plants are growing.

   I work a handful of days per week so I am grateful for those perfect glad-I-have-the-day-off mornings. As a gardener I appreciate a rainy morning more than most, but when I know that sun is going to shine, well those are my favorite summer mornings. Happy Summer Solstice to you all!