Winter is an etching, spring a watercolor, summer an oil painting and autumn a mosaic of them all.” —Stanley Horowitz

Guest blogger Helen Yoest reflects on her garden during the four seasons. Here is her third post on summer:

Summer
Summer conjures up thoughts of cookouts, camping, and anything related to water—the pool, beach, or lake. For many people gardening is abandoned when spring’s door swings shut.

For me, however, gardening remains high on my list of summertime pastimes, despite the heat. As a natural early riser, I welcome the morning in the garden. While the temperatures are at their coolest, I can weed, putter, and peek at the flowers. As the dew dries and sun rises, the wild creatures wake from restful naps. A butterfly comes out from under a leaf, a frog opens one eye, then the other, with thoughts of noshing, and a bee asleep on a flower head doesn’t have far to travel to breakfast.

There is life in the garden beyond spring. Summer is the time when evenings are spent keeping rhythm with your rocker to the sounds of frogs and crickets serenading you in the waning light. Forget the iPod, the cicada will make your music during the heat of the day and the bumblebees hum as they become weighted down with pollen. Planting for summer flowers gives your summer garden a voice, so don’t let spring be the end of your year in the garden. Plan for summer and hear your garden sing.

Helen Yoest, owner of Gardening With Confidence, is working on her first book to be released later this year. Catch up with Helen at her blog at gardeningwithconfidence.com.