THERE'S A SLIGHT BUZZ IN THE GARDEN TODAY.

Well, Colorado went from 50 degree to 90 degree weather in less than a week.  I love living here!

Because it’s been a long hot day, I went to my front yard tonight to check on the little Penstemon I planted a week ago.  She’s been struggling a bit, needing some extra love and care, and as I tipped the watering can over her bent neck to cool her down from the heat, a flash of yellow buzzed by my face.  And suddenly, I knew summer had finally arrived in my mountain state.  The bees are back.  Well, really, only one or two have been sighted so far, but within another week, a bee habitat will be well established in my front garden.  Even during what I now refer to as The Time of Great Neglect, the purple salvias thrived and I have to believe it is partly due to the bees that have always visited my garden.   I don’t use pesticides and am committed to organic gardening, and as a result, the bees have a safe haven here – they’ll be with me until the first frost, feasting on the nectar from these deep purple plants.  Like snakes, I don’t fear the bees.  During the summer season, I stick my hand right in the middle of the salvia’s and prune away.  The bees leave me alone.  We know we need each other.

For some reason, bees are quite attracted to vibrant colors and purple seems to be a favorite, so I know they will soon find their way to the back yard, where the chives are now in full bloom.  For the most part, I leave those blooms alone – they provide a nice little feast to my buzzing friends who then help to pollinate the rest of the herb garden.  But I’ll pick a few of the chive blooms this week and toss them into a salad.  Yummy onion taste.

Lest I forget, the bees will soon be drinking chamomile, which also just bloomed this week.  Will I make chamomile tea this year for myself?  Doing so requires pruning the fresh flowers and then drying them out.  That will deprive my little oval black and white stripped friends of this wonderfully sweet nectar.  And yet, I remember the chamomile tea Mike and I drank at the Stratford Inn in England and I think – sorry bees, this flower is for me!

Well, one thing the bees don’t bother with are the strawberries. For one thing, bees can’t see red.  But Robins sure can find their way to the juicy ripe berries.  Seems the garden is starting to burst open, because the strawberries have bloomed and the first small white fruit is bearing forth.  It will be a race this year to see who will get the first harvest – the birds or me. 

So another week in the garden ends, with me sitting on the patio, drinking my glass of red, and snapping away pictures of new life.  What blooms next week?  I can hardly stand the wait.