The Long Hot Days Of August

We are in the last stretch of summer, the long hot days of August. This is the time when the intense heat wilts further summer plans until they wither.

People forget why they wanted to go anywhere in the first place. Better to shut the blinds and crank up the air conditioning and wish for cool weather to return.

The Garden In The Long Hot Days Of August:

The garden is sunny for a time in the morning. At least select parts of it is. While the rest of my plot sits in shadow under the big cypress tree.

Close to noon the shade covers it. Maybe the garden takes an afternoon nap. A siesta. An intermission from the sweltering heat.

The leaves turn under just a little as though closing their eyes. Settling into sleep until the late afternoon sun wakes it up again.

“Breathe the sweetness that hovers in August.” – Denise Levertov

Around noon I have to go out and water because the leaves are drooping a bit and the flower stems look weary.

Then everything perks back up again, as though it’s been given a shot of adrenaline.

And then comes the blissful shade which darkens my little yard.

The garden sits quietly through the afternoon while the light is dimmed. Enjoying a respite from the horrid August heat.

Squirrels:

The squirrels romp around, climbing up the rocks and trees and chasing one another past my view.

This view is the one I have from my bedroom, where the patio door frames all that I’ve planted. Had landscaped and improved.

“Less than a month ago, all of August still stretched before us – long and golden and reassuring, like an endless period of delicious sleep.” ― Lauren Oliver

The herbs are lush and fragrant. And the ivy trails across the ground and around any structure close enough to touch.

The morning glories are winding around the light pole and have almost reached the top.

Pink blooms are appearing now.

I will never forget that first morning glory bloom of the summer.

Twelve years ago I was hurrying toward it with my camera when I fell. And you know the rest of that long arduous story.

The never-ending saga that still rules much of my life. Just one little false step and the future was forever altered.

Life does that sometimes.

“August was nearly over – the month of apples and falling stars, the last care-free month for the school children. The days were not hot, but sunny and limpidly clear – the first sign of advancing autumn.” ―Victor Nekrasov

Petunias:

The petunias grew down from the pot and are now trailing across the gravel. Yesterday I went outside and tidied them up a bit.

Cutting them back produces even more blooms and the plant returns the favor with thicker growth.

The canna has grown quite rapidly. It’s in that galvanized tub that looks too small for it now. Putting out red flower after red flower, which I cut when they wilt.

Before I’ve given it another thought, a red bloom is reaching skyward. Up toward the cypress tree, reaching for those few hours of sunlight.

It’s hard to describe the canna flower, for it is rather odd-shaped. Twisting here and spreading there until it is totally unfurled.

Then it will sit there a few days to be gazed at before it sinks in on itself. And then it’s time to be trimmed away to make way for another one.

“Remember to be gentle with yourself and others. We are all children of chance, and none can say why some fields will blossom while others lay brown beneath the August sun.” – Kent Nerburn

Zinnias Growth During The Long Hot Days Of August:

The zinnias are blooming. Their tall stalks bend under the weight of the flowers.

They were coaxed out finally by the intense August sun. If I’m lucky, there should be a path of blooms through September, and maybe longer.

August is that month when children head back to school.

Vacations are ending. People are huddling down to get serious about life and all that it entails.

Then fall arrives, and August is but a memory.