August is a bittersweet month. Many of the early spring flowers have faded. Mercifully, there are others such as aster, goldenrod, mums, Joe Pye weed, and helenium, that wait until late summer to grace us with color. A few perennial flowers bloom almost continually, from early spring until mid-fall. These are the rudbeckias, echinaceas, catmints, lavender, and coreopsis. I planted corn poppy seeds in early March. They finally began to bloom, much to my delight, the last week in June. They are still blooming. I intend to save the seeds and replant them in the fall, to give them a head start on next spring. There are several annual flowers that will reliably re-seed, such as cosmos, snapdragon, and columbine; although they are not perennial. I can count on these coming back year after year.
The one thing I cannot count on, is that I will still be here next spring, because the one thing in my life that has been consistent, is change. This time of year, I often have waves of sadness begin to wash over me. It stems from my childhood when September, especially, was a time filled with dread because I knew I would have to return to school. We have had days already this month, when you could feel the coolness in the morning air – a subtle reminder that summer is fast tracking into autumn. I am slowing down in the garden and possibly reaching a point of burnout. There is still much to be done and there are so many flowers that I still want to plant; but I must be realistic. I could have saved my money to move to a more hospitable climate; but I have been deprived of having my own garden for far too many summers. I know that in the coming months, I will need to make decisions about my future, but for today, for this month, I will enjoy my flowers. I won’t think about tomorrow.
