The summer wind

Celia Thaxter

In Her Garden

The summer months are flying by, in a way the winter months never do.  I checked the local weather blogs this morning and surprise, July will probably go down as warmer than normal -- the 17th month in a row to do so.  We can remember cool, damp summers when it didn't hit 90 degrees once in Seattle.

I can't remember a summer this dry. Only 0.23 inches of rain fell during June, and 0.58 in May, making this the driest May 1-June 30 ever.   Not a drop of rain in July so far.  Should I water the trees and shrubs? It would be a shame to lose the big stuff.

Other than the bamboo, of course-- nothing in Nature can kill that.  On the bright side, it's finally stopped sprouting up all over the place.  My bamboo removal expert said that's just an illusion.  In dry weather, the underground rhizomes branch out far and wide, looking for water.  Not to sound morbid, but it's like having some sort of (self-inflicted) garden disease.  Which I suppose it is. Oh well, the execution day is fast approaching.

 Photo Mark T. Davis

In the meantime-- we have wonderful cool, quiet mornings and spectacular hazy sunsets. Afternoon breezes and sun-loving flowers.  Hummingbirds, cherry tomatoes and basil.  A summer of a lifetime. A perfect summer, really.