Hello September

Hello September! School is back in session, the light appears later in the morning and fades earlier in the evening, while an earthy aroma whispers change. I welcome autumn harvests, red apples, blooming chrysanthemums, orange pumpkins, whimsical gourds, and corn shocks all shining under a harvest moon.

The bounty of the garden spills into my kitchen with delectable results...

Summer squash au gratin

Canned whole ‘Roma’ tomatoes 

Fresh salsa

Stuffed peppers

Tomato Bingo Anyone?

The glory days of sunflowers towering over the garden are passing as bulbous heads bowed low salute nature’s change of seasons. The final sunflower has opened her face to the sun and I stand beneath heaving an audible sigh of appreciation.

I am not the only creature that benefitted from all that sunflowers offer; bees, covered in yellow pollen, danced around the spheres sipping and collecting. Butterflies lit on this year’s favorite flower and a goldfinch hung precariously, nearly upside, snatching a not-ready-for-prime-eating seed or two.

I think I will miss the sunflowers most of all. As Vincent Van Gogh remarked, “The sunflower is mine, in a way.” Well it’s mine in a way, too and I have taken over a hundred photos hoping that just one will capture the essence of a sunflower.

Cutting a sunflower head in its crowning golden glory of petals was one of the hardest things I did in my garden this year. I treasured each one and while I love cut flowers, scanning often requires removal of stems. So I float the head in water enjoying it for as long as possible knowing that long after the stems have been cut down I’ll have colored memories.

Come in September.  I'm so glad you're here!

Oh Happy Sunflower Days

The sun rises in a haze of low hanging white across the fields of northwest Ohio. The crickets break out in song just as the cicadas end their happy announcement that August is here. In the garden, I’ve been waiting anxiously for the sunflowers to burst into bright yellow petals surrounding black-seeded centers and oh happy day, the grand opening has begun

I love how sunflowers follow the sun throughout the day welcoming the morning light with faces turned toward the east and ending the day with heads tipped to the west as the sun dips below the horizon.

Standing quietly in the garden as the sun fades, I can almost hear an audible sigh of goodbye that emanates from the tall golden lookouts. 

The ornamental sunflowers that stand between 4 and 5 feet tall are blooming now. In my exuberance I’ve taken over a 100 photos of the only two that sprung from seeds planted in the spring.

Behind the ornamentals, thick stemmed giant sunflowers hold aloft large buds enveloped in a cloak of green.

When the time is right buds will burst into rays of sunny yellow to reveal black seeds and miniature blossoms that attract honeybees anxious to sip nectar and inadvertently rubbing against pollen until tiny saddle bags appear on the sides of legs. The bees tolerate a couple clicks of the camera, but then fly with a warning to, back off we’ve got work to do!

Finally, the large clay pot of teddy bear sunflowers shows buds developing. I’ll cut a few and put them in a container to brighten the walnut table in the dining room as soon as the shaggy heads smile up at me. 

The ultimate sun worshipper, sunflowers never kneel, but stand tall honoring the source that brings them life with heads bowed in humble gratitude and in turn offer me so much joy that I would build a house of sunflowers, place a red chair in the center and live content.

"Bring me then the plant that points to those bright Lucidities swirling up from the earth,

And life itself exhaling that central breath!

Bring me the sunflower crazed with the love of light.”

~ Eugenio Montale

I'm not quite ready to don my autumn colors.  There's still summer in the air!  Check out the free header, August Seas.

It's a Beautiful Thing

Over the weekend we planted a very small garden…and it was beautiful. The process began earlier last week when two of my brothers came to work up the grass and get it ready for planting. With a rototiller, peat moss, and shredded mulch, the two guys worked in the hot sun with sweat dripping off their faces. After two days, they presented us with a gift of a garden ready for planting in a few days.

One morning was spent gathering seeds and plants from a greenhouse and a big box store. Then, as the hot sun waned on Sunday evening, we planted tomatoes and a companion plant to keep them company, marigolds.

On Monday morning, out we went to the early morning cool, pulled the hoe creating a ditch, and tucked in green bean seeds. Next, a hill of jack o’lanterns for the little guy took up residence next to a row of mammoth sunflower seeds ready to sprout and grow. Close by another row of ornamental sunflowers, low-growing and colorful sleep beneath soil anxious to awaken. Two hills of summer squash, a family favorite, took center stage. A container of fennel to attract butterflies and two clay pots filled with nasturtiums stand guard around the garden.

On the back patio, another pot of short stocky, shaggy yellow sunflowers were planted. Rosemary is happy and content outside gracing the corner, close enough so I can pamper her when needed. And because in my world, a garden without herbs lacks an essential ingredient, I planted pots of parsley and dill with thyme, oregano, and lavender to follow soon.

It’s been over ten years since I last planted a garden of any kind. Oh, I’ve had pots and container grown plants, but it’s not the same. There is something about seeing those rows of sprouts breaking the earth, peeking at the world, and reaching for the heavens. A smile of satisfaction when a row is hoed and free from weeds reveals gardening pride. Picking, savoring, and putting up cans of freshly picked green beans or tomatoes offers a sense of security. Yes, to have a garden is indeed a beautiful thing.
 
Thank you B & P!!!