Cichorium intybus (Asteraceae)

More than any other flower, Chicory epitomizes the height of summer for me. In the days when I had a long commute, I loved to see the slender blue blossoms on the side of the highway in July. There would be a few joyous days, maybe a week or two, and then road crews would appear and cut back what the Massachusetts Department of Transportation clearly viewed as a nuisance.

Rosa Granada

Yesterday was everything a summer day should be — sunny and hot. I went to the Norwich Farmer’s Market in the morning. The local strawberries are in; the peonies are abundant. In the afternoon, we went swimming in Lake Pinneo. The water was so cool and fresh.

Coming back from my morning walk with Cammy, I noticed three roses in full bloom in the front border. They smell heavenly. They are right next to a stand of peonies that I transplanted from a shadier border four years ago. The peonies finally started blooming last year and they have a lovely rose-like scent.

The garden is doing so well. Right now the goldflame honeysuckle is the star. I didn’t prune it as severely as I have in the past and it has taken over the central part of the fence. It is frequented by a ruby-throated hummingbird — always a delight to see.

I wish I could say I knew what I was doing with this garden, but it’s a lot of luck. I inherited some of it, but have tried to focus on adding new perennials. A lot of the plants I inherited are listed in my flower encyclopedia as “tending toward weediness.” This seems to be polite gardenspeak for “don’t touch this with a ten-foot pole.” I’ve tried to contain or eliminate the more aggressive of these species, and have met with some success.