“THE SUMMER DAY,” BY MARY OLIVER

Who made the world?
 Who made the swan, and the black bear?
 Who made the grasshopper?
 This grasshopper, I mean —
 the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
 the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
 who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down —
 who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
 Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
 Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
 I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
 I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
 into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
 how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
 which is what I have been doing all day.
 Tell me, what else should I have done?
 Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
 Tell me, what is it you plan to do
 with your one wild and precious life?

  -Mary Oliver, Devotions

I remember the first time I read this poem by Mary Oliver. The last two lines sink into my soul like water on dry soil.  “Tell me, what is it that you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”  I love her question.  The answer is unknown and spacious like a blanket snapped out on the shoreline.  The Summer Day invites us consider ourselves with curiosity and reverence, with the same delight she regards a grasshopper feeding from her hand.  Precious and Wild.  Wild and Precious. This Summer I’m taking time to listen to what my heart wants.  Right now is a good time to sink your teeth into hope and savor like a blackberry plucked from a vine.   Look for it and keep trusting that the possibilities for ourselves and our world are sweet like a Summer day.  We are still here and we are moving forward.  

Where are you seeking Beauty these days?  It’s hot, so hopefully its under the shade of a tree or in the water.  Are you ready for a pause?  Summer beckons me to take a break and laze about with a book, jump in some cool water, and listen to some outdoor music with friends.  What are your summer plans?  I would love to hear your favorite COOL places to visit and enjoy.  Maybe a trip to the mountains, a trip to our “local Hamptons”, or catching the Frida exhibit before she leaves?   I am moved by this beautiful outreach to inmates that invites them to create with flowers to inspire inner healing.  Read about this here.   An exhibit of their work is displayed at The Branch, and ticket sales will raise funds for this worthy work.  In this month’s newsletter, we will dive into how to help ourselves and our gardens stay cool.  We look who’s helping us keep cool in our community, watering practices that will help your garden thrive during the sultry month of July, and a beloved hydrangea that shrugs off the heat and keep on blooming in the heat of summer. 

WWLD is Growing. I am wrapping up a fabulous season with so many client gardens to celebrate.   One of my favorite client projects was photographed by the talented Rick Kidd, and I love using some of these to update my website. My client loves her summer blooming garden (pictured above), and that sweetness is the best feeling to savor.  It’s hard to believe my Immersive Landscape Design practice will be 10 years old this year.  I remember a hot summer day 10 years ago, I was standing on a friend’s dock at the river debating whether or not I should open my own business.  My dear friend challenged me to go for it…and I jumped in.  This month I’m taking another leap and going back to school for an intensive course during July and August. I’m learning about restorative ecology and how to create resilient plant communities.  This new perspective will infuse Immersive Design with creativity and beneficial practices for your garden.  I believe thoughtful plant and material choices make a difference on how we feel in nature.  Beauty is restorative to our soul, and restoring our environment is part of healing our world.  

RVA Goes Green
Check out the latest initiative from the City of Richmond…the Richmond Cool Kit.  It includes twenty-five evidence-based cooling strategies that can reduce surface temperatures in urban and suburban communities across the City of Richmond. These strategies can help protect our natural environment, enhance connectivity across the City, and improve public health and safety.  I love it!  Adding green space, water features, shade, and a personal favorite…Depaving.  A former 381 space parking lot was converted to a 2 acre public park at the Science Museum.  This project is a fantastic example of these policies at work, and I love the new gardens at the Science Museum.  It’s native, GORGEOUS and resilient.  If you are looking for a great example of a thriving plant community, go check this garden out. 

A Community Hero 
Southside Releaf is one of the community organizations supporting Cool the City initiative.  They are doing fantastic work planting trees, educating residents, and greening helping our community be climate resilient.  Why is this important?  In certain neighborhoods, its up to 16 degrees hotter in the East End and Southside because their neighborhoods lack shade canopy. Trees filter carbon, reduce effects of pollution, and provide cooling shade.  I learning more about how they are cooling Richmond and why its important here. If you are interested in helping out, click here.  Richmond is our precious and wild place, and we are here to keep it resilient and healthy for everyone.  

Summer Garden Care Tips
My shoes are off, and sweat trails down my temples as I fade across the garden.  I don’t want to do much.  So first, before you do anything else, take a moment to soak in the sounds of birds, the presence of trees, and the blooms in your garden.  All the work you put in the Spring is paying off now so you can enjoy.  If there are chores at hand, try to work in the garden in cooler times of the day. 

Water Wisely:  Use compost or mulch to retain moisture. Water early or late in the day to reduce water loss through evaporation.  Water low and slow.  The best way to know if you need to water is to check the soil directly. Gently stick your finger into the soil about 1-2 inches down, near the base of the seedling. If it feels dry at that depth: It's time to water. If it feels moist: You can likely wait. Check again later or the next day.  New plantings will need extra care during the over 90 degree days we are having. 

Weed & Pest Control:  Weeds flourish in July heat.  Weed after it rains to make them easier to remove.  Plant densely so weeds don’t have an opportunity to take hold. Birds eat bugs, and hopefully they are helping out with pest control.  Use horticultural oil to protect susceptible plants like Roses and avoid using Roundup and other harsh chemicals all over.  What you spray will end up in our water and kill the good guys and the bad guys.  If there are any pots that hold water, be sure to empty them.  Mosquitoes breed in just a tablespoon of standing water.  

Keep Cool.  If there are chores at hand, try to work in the garden in cooler times of the day.  Wear a hat, gloves, and bug spray to ward off the mosquitoes.  Stay hydrated, friends!

A Tough Blooming Shrub that Shrugs off the Heat
I am a huge fan of white hydrangeas.  They bloom in the summer, and the bright white blooms make me feel cooler in the heat.  Bobo is a dwarf variety that is loaded with blooms in the summer.  Hydrangea paniculata ‘Bobo’ is a panicle hydrangea that stays 3-4 feet high and wide, and is happy full sun to partial sun.  You won’t believe the profuse blooms, and this year with all of the rain, they are loaded.  As long as you have well draining soil, Bobo will be a sparkling addition to your garden.  My favorite local nurseries are the best place to buy Bobo!  Sneed’s, Colesville, Cross Creek, Gardener’s, or Stranges should carry this shrub.