Summertime Garden

How fast the summer goes by! Here we are all through July and it feels like only a few days since school ended. We’ve had awesome weather here for the last few weeks and I have been doing lots of walking and gardening. I weed a lot since I don’t use much in the way of pesticides – afraid of harming bees mostly (but also pets, birds, or other wildlife). I really enjoy the buzzing of bees – little collector boats headed for the honeycomb. If you’re calm and observant, they will amaze you as they navigate from roses to geraniums, from daisies to dianthus. It’s a good thing they aren’t built for flight, cause they really get around – one of the miracles of nature, I suppose.

I may enjoy a lot of insect life, but ants are the exception. These have to be some of the most successful creatures on the face of the earth. You may not like them, but you have to admire their tenacity. You think you’ve wiped out a nest today, and guess what? A week down the road they’ve rebuilt and are hungrily scouting the garden once more. I don’t mind them so much way in the back, but when their little armoured bodies start zig-zagging onto the deck I have to take drastic measures. Having googled everything from boiling water to baby powder to cream of wheat, the environmentally friendly deterrents are only somewhat effective. I’ve gone through a lot of vinegar and soapy water without the desired results. If their numbers don’t diminish soon, a Raid could be in their future.

Here are some pics of my garden (minus my little black foes).