A Stroll Through The Summer Garden

My garden in July 2024

This year the garden is somewhat out of sync compared to previous years. Some things are flowering sooner than usual, and at least one– my double tiger lily– was inexplicably later. A few flowers simply burned up within days, due to several heat waves early on.

As climate change continues to mess up our weather, it’s not surprising to observe stressed plants reacting in novel ways. The extreme heat has stunted growth for some and interrupted or accelerated flowering for others. Even so, my garden still managed to look fairly good despite the challenging conditions. Here’s are some snapshots of it over a period of about two months, from mid-June to mid-August.

Tips for Creating A New Garden

Great gardens don’t invent themselves. In fact they can be a lot of work to create. Here are my suggestions for making the task of creating (or revitalizing) a perennial garden from scratch easier and more satisfying.

To begin, dedicate a small notebook to your gardening projects or use an app like Google Keep. Don’t rush the planning stage. Jot down the answers to these questions, and track your progress.