By the End of August, this Gardener is “Over It”
I’m fairly certain that I can’t be the only gardener who feels this way…but by the end of August, I’m “over it”. Well, maybe I just have days when I’m over it. Over what, you ask? The mosquitoes, the heat (I know I’ll be missing it in the depths of Jan/Feb), the forest fire smoke, the wasps, and especially the weeds that grow with reckless abandon. And despite having spent a considerable amount of time and effort bringing the crops to a harvest crescendo, using and processing the abundance (which I am, of course, very thankful for!), it starts to feel more like a chore than a payoff. Silly? Probably, but there it is.
In the center garden area, sometimes loosely referred to as the cottage garden, there are eight large flower beds. All of which are 15’ deep. I start weeding in one bed, pull out a wheelbarrow’s worth of weeds, and then move to the next one and the next one and the next one over the coming days…weeks…months. And this goes on all throughout the spring and summer into fall, with summer being the peak weed romp. I know that it sounds like I’m complaining (because I am) but by this point in the gardening year I’m ready for cooler weather and the garden to start down shifting into its calmer autumn season and eventually slipping into its wintery sleep. At which point, especially in Jan/Feb, I’ll start wishing that the garden was awake and full of color with endless gardening to be done.
…and when I look at a picture like this, I remember that THIS is why we gardeners do what we do…
