A Summer Garden

I haven’t been seeing much of the birds lately. Earlier this summer, they were everywhere. In recent months, I haven’t wanted to go outside of my house – even to the back yard. Because it just… didn’t feel right. But, I’ve wanted to recently. And, I think outdoor projects are a good way to start.

I realize that late summer may not be the best time for this endeavor, but I’m curious about it. I’d like to see what I could do. So, I’m thinking hydrangeas and lemon grass to start. There are two good sized trees in the back yard. One is large, and the other more medium. I’m not sure how to tell if a tree is healthy, but I do know that the root systems and the fungus and the branches look regular. A few years ago, I read parts of The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben and I really enjoyed what I had learned. But, that was a while ago and I seem to have forgotten some of the factual parts. But, what I do remember is that trees actually talk to each other through electrical impulses in their roots and branches – which, for this reason, grow until they touch another tree. They also can change some chemical-stuff in their make up to attract and repel specific insects. And, that is so frickin cool.

Personally, I would like to repel the mosquitoes, because they are most abundant this year. It seems that I can’t go outside for more than two minutes without itching with a new bite. So, definitely lemongrass, then. Maybe lavender this year, probably marigolds as soon as possible.

But first, a fence. We’ve been meaning to replace our run down fence for a while now and this, I guess, is the year to do that. The entire house has been under construction for a while. It hasn’t felt like home since early June. But, this year, we’re working on that. We’re taking a step back from all other plants and making the house more of itself. As excited as I am for most of the changes, I mostly just want things to feel normal again. I have a feeling that they won’t for a while. But, this is a start.