We all know that we are at the mercy of the growers and the weather, and the plant choices we make. Yes, I have a southern exposure with no shade, but pansies may last longer than spring (no, they never do). But each year I plant my flowers, my herbs and my one patio tomato, hoping for a bumper crop and no aphids or mites.
My one signature plant I use each year is blue lobelia. The window boxes up in Bar Harbor were full of them back when we visited in 1986, and they made an obviously lasting impression. I can usually plant so that they have some shade and make sure they are well watered so that they last as long as possible.
Gardeners are optimists. Yes, there will be enough sun, the temperature not too hot or cold, I'll remember to water, and yes, I will have a garden to enjoy. And those annuals whose flowers keep coming all summer seem to agree with me. This year's early spring had me starting weeks before Memorial Day, my traditional start date. I've had to replace those pansies with begonias that love that sunshine. And also my pinks that somehow over-wintered and came back this spring finally petered out and needed replacing.
Heading back to the garden center is no hardship in mid-July. Plants are now on sale and there's no sign yet of mums. I have to say I hate mums. They are the signal for fall and the end of gardening. I'd rather have the last of my summer flowers than plant mums.
But we're still at the height of the growing season. I'm still enjoying my flowers, harvesting tomatoes and herbs for cooking, making notes of what has worked and what hasn't. A seed, a plant, seem to be nature's promise that life renews. It doesn't always stay the same, but it stays. I just keep that watering can handy and keep tending my garden.
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