Summertime
Summer solstice yesterday. How did we get here so fast, 2023? As I get older, time has become entirely unhinged. It all moves at lighting speed, but by the time Thursday comes around things that happened on Monday feel like a distant memory. I suppose that’s the effect “too much” can have on us.
I’ve certainly been doing too much. A more-than full-time job, a family with needs, some minor health concerns, trying to keep a social presence, and this little business that I’m trying to bring to life. Time can’t slow down enough to get it all in.
This specific time of year is a bit frustrating in the garden. I’ve worked so hard to get all of these summer plants in the ground, but they’re taking their sweet time to produce… I remember feeling this in past years, but Blumegeist adds a little more anxiety. The lack of diversity has encouraged me to be creative with designs - with fewer flashy flowers I’ve leaned in heavily to the foraged look - a bit more whimsy and green. Blooms that are thriving right now include snapdragons, sweet peas, rudbeckia, scabiosa, sea holly, early hydrangeas, poppies, astrantia, clematis, godetia, among others.
6 months in…
The first half of the year has been positive on the whole, but the stress level of starting a business is real, no matter the size. It has been fun so far and I feel I’ve made a lot of progress honing in on where I want Blumegeist to go, at least short term.
During the intense tulip season, I made a lot of contacts by introducing myself to local businesses. As a result I’ve had a handful of events that have been educational in many ways.
The only downside to focusing on getting the name out there is that I’ve lost time in the garden and am a little behind on many of the projects I had planned for the year. I think most of them will still get done, but not as I initially planned.
This month I’m prepping the garden for a two week departure. Automated irrigation and help from my parents should keep things a float here. Eric and I are heading to the UK with his family - a long anticipated adventure! I plan to visit a bunch of gardens and soak in the garden-loving spirit there. We’ll be all over England and spending a few days in Edinburgh, Scotland. On the garden/creative front, I’m most excited about my solo day in East Sussex visiting the Charleston house and garden.
As the Blumegeist garden takes shape, I hope to share more about what’s happening out there. Soon harvesting will become the most time-consuming task, which is very exciting. Each task has it’s own joys and frustrations and I am constantly figuring out how to improve my process. I’ve known for a long time that the things that are worth doing take a lot of time and energy… I keep telling myself that this is worth doing.
