Celebrate the Summer solstice

By 3 commentsCategory: Garden, Sierra Foothills, Summer, WeatherTags: , , ,

Welcome Summer!

On the summer solstice which is today, the Northern Hemisphere receives more sunlight than on any other day of the year, but that doesn’t mean the first day of summer is also the hottest day of summer,…except here where I live.

Rudbeckia, Black-Eyed Susan, a California native

Rudbeckia, Black-Eyed Susan, a California native

Garden first, breakfast second

Going out to the garden first thing with a cup of coffee and some clippers can be a good way to start the day during our summer heat spells in the Sierra Foothills. I try to take advantage of the long days by getting out in the garden before I eat breakfast! Watering pots and clipping the spent blooms in the garden are much more pleasant then and it’s amazing how much you can do in half an hour or so. With no chores in mind, you can putter and groom, pinching a flower here and there before you begin your day. 

Coreopsis and Indian Hats, both native California wildflowers.

Coreopsis and Indian Hats, one native California wildflower, one not.

If I Want to Do More.

If I have more time, and  aren’t hungry yet, I can stick a trowel in my back pocket as I go, for ruffling up the soil in any flowerpots you may have. This is a good way to tell how wet or dry the soil is in them. I may think I’m watering adequately when, in reality, the water’s going down the sides of the pot!  It’s good to get down low to see what’s going on there. Flowers that need to be clipped back now are Shasta daisies, Black-eyed Susans, Echinacea and some butterfly bushes. I throw the seed heads into spots where I’d like more to reseed.

All that was left of non native wildflower mix from 2006 were the CA native Rudbeckia hirta

In 2010, all that was left of non native wildflower mix from 2006 were the CA native Rudbeckia hirta

A Gardener’s Meditation

As I wander around the garden in the early morning and observe how the garden is faring I think about what changes can be made for the next planting season. The color, smells and sounds can be soothing for a brief time before I get to the work day. The mid-summer potted plants need attention every day so this could become a morning ritual that I come to enjoy.

I’m going in to eat!

Glorious Blacked-eyed Susan

Glorious Blacked-eyed Susan, with two 'Love-bugs', Bordered Plant Bugs. See 'em?

Related posts:

  1. Where the Wild Flowers Are
  2. Inviting wildlife into your California garden
  3. Summer progress on the straw bale garden
  4. Butterfly Gardening: Living leaves in your garden

3 comments

  1. Desiree -

    What a perfect way to begin each day. I didn’t know Coreopsis and Rudbeckias are Californian natives…we get them here and they grow well in our climate, too, so I guess I never even gave any though to their origins. Henceforth, I shall look at them in a new light, knowing they orinated from your stomping grounds 😉

  2. James (Lost in the Landscape) -

    Happy belated solstice to you! It’s easy to suspend a sense of hunger while out in the garden, isn’t it? My celebration involved going into the bunker that is my office, which is shielded from nature by about 2 solid feet of concrete–not the best way to launch into summer.

  3. Sue Langley -

    Thanks, Desiree, I’m glad you can grow these, so cheerful. We have many So African plants here as well!
    Thanks, James! I do get carried away when I just go out to water the patio pots. Many cups of coffee abandoned. I hope you don’t have to spend too much time in your bunker.

Comments are closed.