Summer has come to a screeching halt. Yesterday afternoon I was outside in a tank top doing last minute covering of plants that I am hoping to save for a while longer, and bringing other ones inside. Saturday, the temperature reached 101 degrees fahrenheit. Just three days later, I am looking out at the trees and sunflowers bending over under the weight of heavy snow. It seems that the weather these past months has been like a roller coaster ride. There is nothing average about the weather here. It seems to know only extremes of high and low and hurricane force winds, rather than breezes.
This is no place for a gardener. The moonflower is only just beginning to put forth buds. The cardinal flower only began blooming about a week ago. I am still waiting for watermelon to ripen. Buds on the zinnias were preparing to open for display and the cosmos were just getting going. I have waited all summer long for the pineapple sage to bloom and only yesterday saw the hint of a red bud. The extreme heat of the past month caused the broccoli to send up only spindly heads that immediately went to seed. The beans, except for one, and all of the zucchini, were eaten early on by insects. It also caused the cucumbers to taste bitter. All was not lost; however, as the herbs truly thrived.The alyssum looked so beautiful in yesterday’s late afternoon light, but along with many of the other plants, will be dead when today’s storm has ended.
It is true, I have been working too hard and pushing my body beyond its limits, all in the hope of having my life filled with flowers. I also did it for the wildlife and in that, I was reasonably successful. My garden was a haven for numerous bees and pollinators, but I was disappointed that I saw only a handful of butterflies and far too many of the invasive cabbage whites. The hummingbird visited only a few times. Perhaps she found better fare in someone else’s garden. Another summer is gone. It has reached that time in the season when I must once again chalk up my losses against my successes. Next spring, I will begin with the same fervor, the same hope and optimism as I began this one; and God willing, in a warmer climate with a much longer growing season.
