Ideally, this is the perfect time to sit in the shade of your beautifully planned and executed garden, sipping something delightful and enjoying the vision of abundant blooms and pollinators at play. In reality, however, this might be the time that you notice something in your garden that isn’t working for you.
If you’re spending too much time watering or merely feeling like something is missing, let me help you be your own garden coach. This is what I do when I’m assessing a site and deciding what little bite size chunks I’m going to deal with next time I can plant something (which, for us, is in the fall. Don’t subject a brand new baby plant to our summer heat!).
When I’m assessing a site, the first thing I ask myself is: do I have a big shade tree on the west side of the house? If not, planting an oak or a cedar elm in this spot is my first priority. As the tree matures, it will shade first the windows of your western exposure, and ultimately your entire house, reducing your electric bill drastically. It’s also usually about twenty degrees cooler in the shade, which is the difference between being able to enjoy your yard and becoming an indoor cat for the summer months.
The next thing I ask is: what is my favorite place to sit? Inside the house, choose your favorite chair and gaze out the nearest window. Do you like what you see? What is it missing? Choose a theme–birds, butterflies, your favorite color–and design a little pocket of garden to create your perfect view. Repeat, repeat, repeat, for every room where you want a sweet little vignette to greet you whenever you look outside.
If you’re still itching to play with plants and be creative, step outside. Where can you add a bench and a little table? Do you have enough shade to make that spot enjoyable?
Which, of course, brings me back to trees. Even if you already have a nice big shade tree, you can create pockets of deeper shade and more interest by planting smaller understory trees beneath their canopy. And, of course, this will also benefit the birds, butterflies, and other pollinators who share your garden with you.
Even if it’s too hot to plant things, summer is the perfect time to bring your observation skills, your curiosity, and your creativity to your garden.
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