July

Mama cooling herself on a hot day

July

7^th post in a series of 12 for 2026

“July is a blind date with summer.” Hal Borland

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I am not a summer person. And yet, July is my favorite month in the garden because…… daylilies! Early mornings are marked by deadheading them so they produce as many blossoms as they are able. Hands stained purple & yellow as damp spent blooms fill my bucket. Apricot lilies by the black cherry tree, yellow ones along the street, magenta along the driveway, and delicate peach, pale yellow and bright red scattered around the garden. Oh! Such a celebration of life they are. And every morning I whisper encouragement. “More blooms please!”

A cool day after a heat wave, a delicious salad for supper on the porch, a walk on the beach in the evening-these interludes mark the muggy July days with welcome relief.

We begin with a day of celebration on the 4^th because the parade goes by my home….bagpipes, trumpets, muskets, floats, antique cars and fire engines! And then, the rest of the month we celebrate the bounty of fresh vegetables at the CSA. Strawberries for shortcake, spicy arugula for salads, green beans and finally corn to dress up our dinner plates. I revel in the vibrant tastes of summer. And I can’t help thinking about the tomatoes that will arrive very soon. Fresh tomato sauce, sliced tomatoes with basil and cheese…..and freezing them for winter consumption so that we can have a taste of summer in the cold of January.

As we look toward fall in this start to the second half of the year, the texture of the days slows its pace & the light softens as there’s less of it every day. I step lightly in the garden as the nicotiana has taken over the path under the yellow magnolia. Flowers that reseed themselves are entirely welcome here! Ragged Robin, forget-me-nots, and bellflower have had a celebration of their own here, there, and everywhere!

And then, the strange light preceding a summer thunderstorm wraps itself around the house, telling me to shut windows and take a seat on the porch to watch the power of nature as she washes away the muggy close summer air. A mug of tea, an entrancing book, and my pup beside me and I’m happy to spend the rest of the day here amongst the rain-washed iris & black-eyed susans.

Soon summer will be over and I will long for the freshness of a morning spent in the garden, and a dinner of sparklingly fresh vegetables. For now, I linger over the last moments of July and remember how much I love this spot of land.