My Ohio Garden Resumes The Usual Summer Program

Fennel takes drought well

After the very remarkable weather we’ve had this summer, from damaging storms through wearying drought, the recent spate of rainstorms has brought something of normalcy to this Central Ohio garden. In fact, it is almost something of an ideal for this time of year, with cooler mornings, bright sunshine, blue skies- sometimes of brilliant intensity and sometimes a watercolored cloudy blue.

The rains gave the earth that softened feel and and released the scents of an alchemy of sweetness into the air. All feels well and beneficent when sitting on the porch of such days. But this is July, and not June, and the humidity pairs up with the heat and we will resume the usual wilting Midwest summer – never as brutal as those in the West or the South, but enough to make morning the desired time to do what work one may attempt in the middle of summer.

 The days of drought always seem to make me more philosophical than usual. It is like a fast of the senses which all of nature is subjected to, and we humans don’t seem to circumvent for all our air conditioned retreats. I have never been one to incorporate fasting into my life in a regular or extended way, but I have experienced this discipline enough to know that while the appetite starts out jaded, there is a sudden appreciation gained of all foodstuffs.

 I think such a thankfulness and appreciations of God-given rain comes at the end of the drought periods, during which the very groaning of the earth seems heard , accentuated by the dearth of birdsong, and the absence of the almost palpable growing of plants that is our usual experience in fertile and well watered Ohio lands.

And so I have found myself experiencing thankfulness of a deeply grateful strength of emotion even while little of my life’s conditions have measurably changed. It is the feast of rainfall blessing, a satisfied earth, and a feeling of wellbing in my garden.

I appreciate it all, and I appreciate life.

Ah, but now to stay ahead of the weeds!

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I wrote a bit more while hanging out in the relief of the air-conditioned room. A profile of fennel (for which that photo above was taken, and one for garden Oenotheras– plants which I have an affinity for.Both seem to handle drought conditions well. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ // ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
© 2012 written for Ilona’s Garden Journal. An excellent blog.