Being in the garden every day teaches a valuable lesson in paying attention to the subtle changes but go away for a week or two and the changes will practically hit you over the head. Or they did me anyway. I had been waiting-waiting, mostly a little impatiently, for some things to grow and finally bloom but evidently all I needed to do was go away for a bit. I could have sworn that there was not a single bud showing on the glads and I’m sure the resurrection lilies were still fully buried when I left. It might not seem as dramatic in pictures, but here are a few shots of what is new to me at Blithewold:

Not only is it a kick to really see how fast the garden changes but I believe it’s all too possible for any gardener to burn out on the thing we love doing the most – even if the summer hasn’t always been as blazing hot as it is today. It’s good – healthy even – to give yourself permission to take a break now and then when you can especially between planting months. I have to admit though that a two-week break from my own garden would have resulted in utter mayhem – in one little week away my weeds threw a party and invited all of their friends. But when I got back to it I found I had a renewed enthusiasm for the tedium – I mean the Zen – of weeding. There’s a lot to be said for the pause that refreshes, don’t you agree?