We have enjoyed plenty of rain, followed by sunny days, so there is no excuse for a poor performance in the Creation Garden. The last three plants to bloom are Clethra (two shrubs), Joe Pye, and Little Joe Pye. I kept thinking I needed more Pye when spaces looked empty, but all of them came up this year with great growth.
Every plant has a distinctive fragrance to attract the bees, beneficial insects, and hummingbirds. When I was inspecting yesterday, I forgot that the bees would be busy harvesting early in the morning. I casually brushed aside an 8 foot Pye spear holding a globe of tiny flowers. That dislodged the insect population and bees began circling my face for a few seconds. They could have stung me, humming, "After all we did for you." Instead, they settled down for work.
When Joe Pye goes to seed, I can cut down the stalks and use them for mulch. That will give the roses more sun and improve the soil. If people kept all the cut grass, raked leaves, and garden remains in the yard, they would see far more growth and fertility. One family raked leaves around their fruit tree instead of raking them away. They doubled their production in one year.
A garden is not a zero sum example. The sun provides the energy for roots to fertilize the soil (75% of the soil fertility). A toxin free property (or close to that goal) will allow all the creatures to thrive, share the food for a brief period of time, and become part of the renewal of the soil.
