Summer is fleeing more quickly than an ice cream cone dripping on a sweltering summer’s day. It’s hard to believe it’s the end of August and that we’ll greet September in just a few days. It’s been an odd summer, weather-wise. Our cold, wet spring led to a hot, wet summer. June and July were tropical, and August was dry and sweltering. I can’t complain. It’s summer! Soon, we’ll be chilled and missing summer’s warmth.
After two years of neglect due to some health issues, we’re working to carve out time to bring the garden back to its former glory. The hot, wet weather created a jungle of weeds and a plethora of ticks. I wish I could coerce local possums to come to my yard to feast on the deer and lone star ticks! How does one do that? Hours of weeding and heavy mulching are bringing a modicum of success to bringing back the gardens. There’s much more work to do, and I’m looking forward to some cooler days to complete the work.
Blossoms in our river of flowers, filled with black-eyed Susans, mint, and phlox, are beginning to wane. We love to sit by this garden to hear all the traffic of buzzing pollinators. The button bush is also in full bloom. It’s one of our favorite blossoming bushes with large blossoms that look like something from outer space. It, too, attracts pollinators of all kinds. Butterflies are testing landing spaces on Joe Pye weed as they travel between flowers in the gardens. The sweet-smelling Clethra is now brown. We’ll need to wait another year for our butterfly and hummingbird highway to return to the native clethra that borders the property.
Hummingbirds are on the move to warmer climes. We’ve seen an increase in hummingbird traffic and hear from friends further north that they’re practically swarming their feeders. They chirp at me loudly to get busy and order me refill empty feeders quickly! They sit on the wire that tethers us to the neighbor’s house and take turns sipping at the nectar of the Black and Blue Salvia and Hosta blossoms.
Late summer is a glorious time, reminding us of the fullness of long summer days. Complaints about sizzling hot weather will fade as cooler days pervade. And soon, summer will fade into a sweet memory.