The Garden in June

 

The garden in June is like the new Eden. It is freshly created, laid out according to plan and not yet gone awry. It is tidy and easily tended. It responds gracefully to training and provides a place of joy in which to rest. It really is a lovely place in the month of June, so new and promising. Even the rabbits think so. They have used the lavender to make a nest and hide their babies.

Come July,  the garden reminds me of little children whose mother is occupied on the phone. They know she cannot come after them so they use the opportunity to make mischief and messes. How quickly a sink is overflowed, a younger sibling is teased, or the cookie jar is raided. In this same way, the garden responds when we turn our backs and go away for a few days. Weeds take root, a powdery mildew sets in, or the deer have come munching. It almost doesn't look like the same garden when we return!

By August, the poor garden will be tired. The summer heat, drought, bugs, and fruiting will have worn it down. It has produced all it can give. It has fed us, enchanted us, aggravated us, and given us a summer of activity. It has also left us with full tummies, food stored up for winter, and a promise that we get to do it all again next year. It will never be as beautiful as it was in June, though.