High Summer Gardens
August 15, 20260
I can’t believe we’re already in August. The days feel long but the months seem to pass in an instant. Summer itself stretches on with long, hot days that seem to go on forever.
In Southern California, the “Endless Summer” posters run rampant. And it always felt true there. Los Angeles felt like an endless summer, warm days, ocean mist, palm trees.
But here in Central Texas, it truly embodies it. Summer feels like forever here. The days go on forever, the heat is intense enough to keep you inside, either with AC or in a body of water. And the sun sets close to 9pm. It truly feels like an endless summer. Most people are counting down to fall. I’m mostly praying for rain.
Around this time last year, I was beaming with excitement to start the Herbalism Apprenticeship that was almost underway. It already feels like a lifetime ago. All of us gathered under the gazebo to soon start working with Flame-Leaf Sumac for a tincture. That was my first time working with bark as medicine, and my heart feels warm knowing that one of those little Sumac babies we dug up from Caroline’s house is now growing in my backyard. I remember the day we dug them up and replanted in our own gardens. It’s the way life keeps giving life.
The gardens right now are both abundant and tired. Somehow, those two things can exist at the same time.
Some plants are thriving even under the current conditions. Those are my heat-loving and Texas natives botanicals. The ones that relish in the heat. I actually feel like them. We share a love for the sun, for summer, for heat. It could be because I’m a summer baby, born in July. Or my constitution being damp stagnation or Kapha. But like them, I enjoy the heat. I love the summer. This season is medicine for the heart. And we still honor it as such. It’s a time for play, it’s activating, it’s heat inducing, it’s buzzing with energy. There’s playdates, pools, swimming holes, late bedtimes, warm nights, and joy parading through each day.
The plants that are enjoying it, right along with me, are:
Butterfly pea – producing new blooms each day. Its vine is multiplying and reaching for something to clutch
Tulsi – my favorite herb. I planted so much from the seeds of last year but it’s popping up in so many spots, and my heart sings. I have all 3 varieties growing in the garden and they’re thriving. I’m harvesting often, and the blooms are blooming, inviting pollinators from every corner of the garden to delight in it. This plant reminds me of Psalms 23. It’s an invitation to lay down in green pastures and besides still waters.
Hyssop – She’s stretching taller and wider. Her purple-blue blooms are beginning to say hello.
Passionflower – This plant is popping up everywhere. I planted her last year and her rhizomes spread underground, emerging wherever she sees fit. The purple alien-like blooms are both other worldly and gorgeous.
Lemongrass – This plant has surprised me. This is my first time growing it and it’s amazing to see how fast it regrows after a haircut. It comes back so plentiful and happy. I’ve been leaning into this medicine more and more this summer. It’s lemony-citrus scent and joyful demeanor has been a pleasure to get to know
Pericon – Even writing about this botanical makes my entire body soften. I have an affinity for this plant. Something about it makes my entire body exhale. It’s a sign that my body needs this medicine. She stands tall, regardless of the heat.
These plants are shaping up to be my next medicine of place. It embodies the essence of High Summer. They’re sun-loving, joy-filled botanicals full of wonder that offer an invitation to take a pause, and let gratitude wash over us like a cool summer breeze.
There’s others that are relishing in the summer season:
The okra keeps producing fruit. So much so, I don’t even know what to do with it.
Zinnias are standing tall and in constant bloom. The jewel-toned gold and fuchsia are showstoppers
Roses are starting to enter a new wave of beautiful blooms
American Beautyberry is offering so many purple berries for the creatures that visit the garden
Goldenrod is growing taller and branching off where those golden blooms will reveal themselves this fall
The cotton is unbothered by the heat, producing plump little balls that turn into delicate flower blooms of white and pink
The thai basil, estafiate, and elderberry are also thriving, strong, and transforming right before my eyes
And in true balance, for every plant that thrives in the summer, there’s plenty that are tired and thirsty
The mint, mullein, exposed lemon balm, the mondardas (fitsulosa & citriodora), Turk’s Cap, sunflowers, yarrow, pink evening primrose, echinacea, sage, and st. john’s wort are looking very tired. The long days and lack of water are getting to them.
And like them, we all need a summer reset. Even in the season of abundance, we need time to slow down. To tend our garden. To weed, clear out the tired, add some nourishment, and make space for what’s waiting to emerge.
Maybe that’s one of the greatest lessons High Summer has to offer:
Abundance doesn’t ask us to keep doing more. Even though it feels like it so often.
It invites us to notice what has already been given and to sit in gratitude for it.
To pause long enough to be present to it and to receive it.
That’s the heart behind our Summer Make. Move. Meditate. gathering.
We’ll spend the evening making a seasonal oxymel together, moving through a gentle, cooling practice, and gathering around the table for a meal inspired by the garden. It’s an opportunity to step away from the busyness of the season and simply be present, with the plants, with one another, and with yourself.
If your heart has been longing for a moment to slow down, I’d love to save you a seat at the table.
Scripture:
Psalm 65:9-13
“You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it… The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain; they shout and sing together for joy.”
Until next time,
Jasz
