We know that in September, we will wander through the warm winds of summer's wreckage. We will welcome summer's ghost.
~ Henry Rollins ~
Sitting on my deck in the late
afternoon shade with the warmish winds of summer’s wreckage sifting through the
trees, I am writing stories and sprinkling water on the new sod I laid in the
back garden yesterday. There are sun diamonds sparkling in the wet grass; bees are feasting in the lavender; and a chorus of crickets is singing secrets to the
earth. Fragrant pots of rosemary, basil and thyme at my elbow, still smelling
of sunshine, will soon give up the ghost but will continue to haunt me in the
shape of stews, roasted vegetables, sauces, pizza and bread as the days shorten
and the cold closes in. Why did I wait so long to grow herbs in the summer?
What other joys have I overlooked that take so little effort yet give so
generously?
These days I welcome the apparition of summer because it is milder than the full-bodied being. While I do prefer autumn over the other offspring of the year, I am in no hurry to release this last embrace of the season.
painting by Vincent Van Gogh
For me, the end of summer is the saddest part of the year. I can't stand the dying of the leaves...
ReplyDeleteYou could plant cornflowers and calendula now for early summer blooms before the heat defeats them. It was my second revelation after the easiness of herbs.
ReplyDeleteI can picture you writing as you savor the herbs, the lingering summer weather, and looking forward to Autumn, and dare I say it, Christmas !
ReplyDeleteA lovely post full of late summer's joys. Isn't it amazing how faithful herbs are? I have good luck with everything except for cilantro and rosemary. And there is such pleasure in going out to snip snip something to add to a meal. We haven't had a real vegetable garden in years but herbs and jalapeños are something I have to put out each year.
ReplyDeleteThis is the first year I put my Basil in the ground. I usually do pots. It took off and is at least 3 feet talk with little flowers. I plant Lemon, Cinnamon( purple) and regular. The fragrance is so uplifting. It was between my tomatoes which also did very well. I had lemon thyme, chocolate mint, peppermint and lavender . The GRANDKIDS love to walk around the yard picking leaves, rubbing through their hands and smelling everything .Next year we are building a deck and I hope to plant herbs all around it mostly lemon to keep away the bugs. Sound like your back yard is coming back to life
ReplyDeleteDr Ada here, dear Nib's End (what a lovely name you have, to be sure!). Herbs are also a favourite of mine: I plan to plant some in the quadrangle, so the scent will waft in to my office as I toil away of a winter's evening. Perhaps you could give me some advice on the best herbs to plant between cobblestones?
ReplyDeleteBeing a novice herbalist I am compelled to admit that I bought wooly thyme for my own needy flagstones this year...and let them perish in the pot without planting them. Chagrin. Perhaps I will try again next year. The lush and riotous marigolds continue to cheer my efforts and have helped me to forget the lapse.
DeleteThank you; I will try wooly thyme, but will avoid the marigolds (I am trying to forget their very existence after a recent mishap involving a sidecar, a stone wall and a positive forest of wild marigolds in the garden of a former colleague).
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