Summer Gardening: Hope in a Jar

My mother is an excellent, world class gardener. I do my best. All through June and July I water the baskets in our tiny backyard that few people will ever see. We have food too: Stevia, arugula, strawberries the ants eat, tomatoes that are finally ripe. We have little space and in the best of times a short window of light for the tiny raised beds.

In August it all pays off. When people invite us over, I make bouquets like this one. Ten minutes spent snipping. Fifteen minutes in a creative frenzy jamming in one more bloom, burst of mint or tiny heart shaped strawberry. Although a host might not notice the bouquet in the rush of greeting and feeding guests, they will later. I will have shared something I enjoy. Mostly I've had a wonderful time in the garden and at my sink making a collage that brings August alive. Ellyn Oaksmith is the USA Today bestselling author of the upcoming Chasing Nirvana (Fall 2017,) 50 Acts of Kindness and other books. She lives in Seattle.