Time spent just sitting in the garden is not only enjoyable, it’s part of the work. It’s productive. And this is the time of year when my hours of goofing off pay their dividends. 

Because I’m not just sitting there lost in admiration of what I’ve accomplished. Far from it. I’m thinking about how I can possibly continue to put this garden on public tours without making major improvements. 

That is where the sitting and staring comes in. I target micro-areas where a few changes would do some good. I sternly evaluate underperforming perennials. Might they surprise me? Or should I consider a shovel-prune when I can get around to it?

Getting around to it is a slight problem, but it will happen. There will come that October day when the weather is brisk but not hostile and I can ruthlessly pull out stuff I’m sick of and  jam in new plants that might just make all the difference down the road.

Gazing at a declining garden is rewarding just for itself. Some garden look their best at this time. I think of my friend Kathy’s garden (above), which is beautiful in full July bloom, but what those days lack are the color overhead. She’s backed up by a diverse wooded area, with many hues represented in the canopy above.

I don’t have that, really, but there are brilliant goldenrod, amsonia and other fall stars as well as  a surprising number of stubborn annual performers. 

The Boston ivy also begins to turn at this time. 

A prerequisite for the gardener who prefers to stare rather than work is that the work can’t be formidable. It has to be possible to hurry through it all within a short period of time. There can’t be acreage.

And it can go too far. Disturbingly some of the things I’m staring at include cool gourd and pumpkin varieties that are supposed to be part of my front stoop fall decor. Except they are also sitting, on the back table. It’s isn’t really fun to look at them.

At least I’ve placed the bulbs in a room I never sit in, or they, too, would be guilt-inducing reminders.

It’s kind of like deciding exactly how long you can wait before filling up the car when it’s on E. It will get done. At least, that’s what I tell myself.