Seasonal Celebrations Revealed-June 2015

“I feel the fluttering
of dragonflies—summer creatures
that have no use for words.” 
~ Larissa Nash

 

 

The seasons used to glide slowly into each other or so it seemed….it felt as though I couldn’t discern where one had ended and the other had begun.  But this year, we are having more mixed-up crazy weather where we seem to run through a couple of seasons in a few weeks.  Maybe this is the new normal, and how it will be from now on.  

But regardless, the garden will adapt and so will I.  This spring it has been very wet, and the weather stabilized to normal temps in the 70s.  Will we have a hot summer?  Will it be a wet summer or a typical dry one?  I guess it really doesn’t matter if we have more mosquitoes than normal, or that there are more weeds than flowers in some spots.

It is whatever the season brings me.  For my summer mantra, I said I would commit to this new season no matter the weather.  I would enjoy the season from the gazebo, the patio and even from within the house observing nature as it unfolds each day with new critters and new adventures.  And I hope to capture more of what I see in my journal as artwork or prose, and perhaps a few dozen pictures too….to savor the moments and highlights.

As I celebrate this new season, I am joined by several bloggers who are sharing their seasonal celebrations.

 

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Let’s start in my backyard, so to speak, in New York State….

 

In Northern NY, Kathy@The Violet Fern is planning to take a few steps back after this crazy May.  As Kathy says,

 

“this is how I plan to celebrate my summer this year – by stepping down, back and out and just sitting quietly, freely, enjoying.”

 

Like many of us in summer, Kathy says she is overwhelmed and over committed.  So she is stepping back and scratching much off her to do list now, and in the future.  Kathy is a very talented artist as well as gardener so her mantra is…’Garden summers. Paint winters.’  Focus on one thing and commit to that.  I can learn a bit more from you Kathy and look at focusing my creative energies better.  Powerful lesson.

 

 

 

So as we move a bit further south in NY State, we end up in the beautiful Catskill Mountains area where Ed and Becky@Plants and Stones garden.  Becky says she is taking time this summer to stop and appreciate moments in her garden.

 

“There’s so much to do in the garden now!  It’s nice to stop for a few moments and appreciate some of the incredible beauty there.  A Skipper loves the delicate blue Amsonia flowers and so do I!  Skippers flit about the garden all the time, but it is a rare treat to catch one still enough for a photograph.”

 

I couldn’t agree more Becky.  Our gardens give us so much beauty and happiness why not stop and soak it up from time to time this summer.

 

 

 

And from the Catskills we now move east, to the beautiful state of Maine, where Jean@Jean’s Garden  is celebrating a bit of a soggy solstice.

 

“The summer solstice is my favorite day of the year. I love the long hours of light, the lushness of the landscape, and the perfect summer weather of Maine in late June. I usually celebrate the solstice by spending as much of it as possible outdoors.”

 

Summer is a season meant to be spent outdoors especially in the northeast.  And Jean certainly has inspired me to enjoy even the rainy days with fun activities.  

 

 

 

Let’s stay on the east coast and move a bit south to the Pocono Mountains in Pennsylvania, to visit with Pam@Pam’s English Cottage Garden.  Pam is enjoying the early mornings doing chores, making new planting areas, puttering and getting her garden ready for the upcoming garden tours in her area. 

And best of all Pam is showing us a new garden right on her patio:

 

“I love to celebrate each season with a gardening gift to myself. With summer a few days away, I treated myself to something very special: a large planting trug for the patio. It places herbs and vegetables closer to the back door, and its height eliminates bending and kneeling when gardening.”

 

I look forward to hearing more about this new portable garden Pam, as I am looking for ways to make gardening easier on my body.  The years seem to be creeping up on me, and the bending and kneeling in the garden seems to be getting harder and harder to do for any length of time. 

 

 

 

As we move westward, we land in Wisconsin to see Beth@PlantPostings.  Beth is planning to enjoy
watching pollinators in her meadow as part of the The Great Sunflower Project.  She has an amazing meadow full of Spotted Beebalm (Monarda punctata)….such a gorgeous native plant, and well-loved by pollinators.

 

“Have you ever spent 30 minutes simply watching pollinators? If not, I highly recommend it. It’s calming, it’s fun; plus, it puts you in touch with nature at a very basic level.”

 

I agree Beth.  One of the most amazing experiences in nature is just sitting in one spot and watching the birds and bees.  Seeing how many visit your plants, and which plants are the most popular.  I hope to join in to this amazing project again this year so thanks for the reminder.  And don’t miss Beth’s beautiful video of her pollinators.

 

 

 

Staying in the US, we move south to Alabama where it has been heating up all spring.  We are stopping by to visit Starr@Wonderful Woods.  Starr is enjoying the abundance of her gardens and woods where she finds wonderful treats to eat.

 

“We have had plentiful rainfall which has made the garden and the woods and the meadows flourish with flowers and fruit and all sorts of flying, creeping, and crawling wonders.  I am so happy and so grateful and so blessed I can hardly express it.  So much beauty everywhere, freely given for us to enjoy.”

 

I would love to go and explore Starr’s woods with her to see all the goodies she finds there.  Lots of rain here too making everything grow so this was a beautiful reminder to enjoy the abundance that summer brings us.  Thanks Starr!

 

 

 

We are moving across the Atlantic now to England to visit with Sarah@Homeslip.  As Sarah describes, she lives “in a busy semi-rural village in the Surrey Hills, about 20 miles from London”.  It sounds lovely there.  Sarah is enjoying summer with homegrown flowers and fruits she picks all summer.

 

“I love all seasons and most weathers but it is the simple living that I adore in summertime.”

 

I couldn’t agree more Sarah.  It seems summer is a perfect time to enjoy fresh grown produce and beautiful flowers….and the easy times relaxing in the garden!

 

 

 

Let’s pop over to Eastern Finland where Sara@My Woodland Gardens is singing joyous songs to celebrate the seasons.  As Sara puts if perfectly:

 

“Imagine that after a dark and cold winter summer bursts into bloom and the freedom of summer holidays is upon you. The world is full of fresh green foliage and flowers and sunlight and bird song. For many of us, “Suvivirsi” symbolizes the memory of those moments filled with joy and gratitude … and few adults can listen to the hymn (especially when sung by a child choir) with dry eyes.”

 

I can completely feel that gratitude as we have long, cold, dark winters here too.  And I am keeping good thoughts that Sara’s summer will be warmer than her spring has been.  Thank you for sharing this special song and tradition Sara.

 

 

 

As we move toward the equator, we join Kalantikan@Pure Oxygen Generators in the Philippines as she awaits the rainy season.  It is hard after so many months with little to no rain, and the plants take a beating.  But even with the heat soaring to 36°C, high relative humidity and no rain, there are still a few blooms in her garden.

 

“Despite the above conditions plus the unavailable water for the plants, I still saw a few blooms. They bloom no matter what. This is not a distress situation to perpetuate the species, but it is their real time of blooming. They just suffer in the number of flowers per spike or the length of their bloom life.”

 

Happily the rain did just begin there, so the plants, critters and people are finding a bit of relief.  I can sympathize with having 2 seasons.  Here in my corner of the world, we say we have winter, mud season and then heat.  It seems this year we have snow and mud more than anything else.

 

 

 

And our last stop is a special one as we head way down past the Equator and close to Antarctica.  We are landing in South Africa as winter has descended on Diana@Elephant’s Eye at False Bay.  Diana has moved from her home near the mountains to the bay, and is taking us on a little winter walk along the beach.

I am always fascinated by the flora and fauna Diana shares from South Africa.  There is a beauty found there in the wild, raw, precious ecosystems.  And with Diana’s move, she is sharing her views of the Bay from starfish trapped needing assistance to her thoughts about a recent wildfire…

 

“I am longing to walk on the mountain and see the flowers coming thru after the March fire, but it is firmly closed with barbed wire, warning notices and threats of fines. This is the finely focused chance for seeds and bulbs before shrubs shade and crowd them back into waiting patiently, for the next fire.”

 

Fabulous pictures that bring this beautiful place to us through the blogosphere.

 

 

So there you have it.  The Seasonal Celebrations for June whether it be summer or winter, so much beauty and lovely thoughts shared by these amazing bloggers.  I want to thank those who were able to participate this season, and I hope you will visit their blogs.  

I love the seasonal changes, and each one brings such a unique perspective so I hope you will consider sharing your seasonal thoughts next time.  I will have the next Seasonal Celebrations starting September 1st.  

 

 

“The light of an early Summer afternoon as it slips toward dusk has so many good things wrapped up in it.”   ~Brandi L. Bates