About the Green Season

It's early August and in my front garden today, the daylilies are blooming. The black-eyed Susans have just begun to open and the ripest purple coneflowers, petals sharply reflexed, look like little squid, their prickly orange bodies trailing pink tentacles. The northern sea oats' delicate parquet seed heads are dangling from the tips of their stems, fluttering excitedly in a small breeze. It's a satisfying view for a home gardener. A glance toward the other side of the yard is less rewarding, however. Only a few faded Lady Alice lilies and several orange tipped sprigs of late butterfly weed add any color to the otherwise green border. The queens of the prairie have long gone to seed. The oriental lilies are spent. The roses, geraniums and bachelor buttons finished blooming nearly a month ago.

Dang!

Like most gardeners, I dream of a full season of color — every day and every border bursting with blossoms. Perusing catalogs and strolling nurseries, though, I tend to choose plants that I find beautiful or interesting in some way. (Named for Thomas Jefferson or commonly planted around Buddhist temples? I'll take 'em!). I don't always consider whether I need another April-bloomer or remember that I could use an aster or mum that will ignite the September garden. And so every summer, I find myself confronting the same surfeit of green.

Planning Next Year's Garden

This year, I've decided to plan next summer's garden renovations more carefully. I'd like to achieve a better balance of bloom throughout the season. I've been reading books and really looking at other gardens I see that I like. I'll apply what I find to my own garden and share what I find here at The Green Season.

~Joyce Johnston