Prodigal Summer

There are two kinds of gardeners: those that celebrate growth, and those who attempt to control it. I am the former and have never been fully in control of my garden, just ask the rabbits! I am also wary of finally loosing the battle for control and turning to artificial turf and pavers to inflict utter domination.  My style does lead to a rather unruly yard, with beds that my mother-in-law suggests I need to "get under control." The path is overgrown and wild flowers seed themselves down. 
I cannot bring myself to rip anything out, no matter how over grown.  "Just wait till it flowers", I say, "then I'll move it." "The monarch butterfly caterpillars cannot be disturbed." And the daisies I promised to remove are still under the grapevine, intertwined and co-inhabiting.

While I am reluctant to put up a fight with nature, I am always ready to lay blame. The rabbits eat every young shoot.  The family of hawks are harassing the small birds, sending them away. The white cabbage moth is the reason I have no Brussel sprouts. The clay soil isn't good for vegetables, and the trees cast too much shade on the flower beds. The cold winters can be blamed for my lavender not thriving, and the low-lying plot water-logs the lawn causing more weeds to grow.  The grape vine bears no fruit because it is male, and the pine needles make the soil too acidic for grass.  My gardening knowledge is mainly myth or hearsay, a crux to hang my excuses on when nature goes its own way. 
I cannot blame the bunnies for everything, there are other pests, like the grapevine beetle that nibbles on my vines.  When I found three munching away Jon told me to get something to kill them. I found I was reluctant to do that. Can't I just let them eat some leaves like I am "allowing" the rabbits to eat the onions.

I don't want to start a fight I cannot win. Like my fight with the weeds. Why not let them cover the bare ground between rows of kale and tomatoes? The crab grass creates a good ground cover although it may look untidy. If they threaten to get too tall I will reconsider, but for now I let them grow. And some turn out to be petunias and sunflowers that have grown from seed. I did a poor job of thinning out my greens and they have all gone to seed displaying a whole row of delicate yellow flowers. What looks like flowering weeds to others is my prized source of the medicinal herb St Johns Wort. My herb garden is a delightful fragrant tangle of fascinating plants with names like: chocolate and pineapple mint, curry, licorice, lemon thyme, and edible nasturtium flowers. I am soft when it comes to cultivating herbs because I enjoy experimenting with each in my cooking. Even my son has discovered herb butter for steak made fresh from the garden. Whatever grows determines my cooking and trying out of new recipes.

There is hardly a bird or butterfly in the area that hasn't stopped by my yard, the hummingbirds are starting to come more often, and the fireflies light up the night. The rabbits and squirrels have moved in (literally) and are multiplying. Occasionally we have possums and ground hogs.  The toads inhabit our window wells and small green frogs lurk in the dark damp undergrowth. I have come to accept them as being part of the abundance of summer.
As are the mosquitoes... I have learned from Minnesotans that you can't beat the mosquito, it will always win out against the latest sprays and gadgets designed to repel it. But to stay inside would be to let the mosquito defeat you. So we call it a truce, go out and get bitten, but accepting the itching as part of summer. These days of abundance, light and life are numbered.  Now is the time to grow and bloom!