WHILE THERE ARE FLOWERS...

 Summer is such a wonderful time of year! If you are a Zone 5 gardener, you work your way through the springtime getting everything ready for summer and then it is time to sit back and "smell the Roses", literally. The Roses, the Delphinium, the Poppies and all the other wonderful flowers of summer!


By the time summer arrives everything is green and lush and the flowers of summer are standing tall and elegant. Your work has begun to show it's rewards and you wander into the garden in the early morning to see the dew still on the flower petals. Take a cup of coffee with you and spend a few minutes looking at the new blossoms that arrive daily.


Cut a few flowers and put them into the house and reap some of the rewards of your efforts. Begin to save some of your blossoms by drying them. Peonies, which are early summer flowers are so easy to dry. The deep red ones are the best. I like to hang them up by a string and air dry them. After the season is over you can put them into wreaths along with some dried Hydranga. Add a few seed pods and some berries and you have the makings of a beautiful wreath for your home or for a gift for a friend.


Enjoy your gardens in every way...don't just look at them. Have coffee out in the garden. Sit in the garden and meditate or just have a quiet moment. Use your flowers, fresh or dried. Use your herbs in cooking or just toss them into a bowl of salad. Summertime is the best...


Try to enjoy your garden a little bit each day remembering that the season will be over soon and you will be spending your time dreaming of next season and what new things you will be planting.