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Summer Solstice in San Jose

The summer solstice is upon us again, a great time to wander the garden with gratitude for nature’s gifts. I appreciate the warm, rich soil and the wonders that emerge from it. Tiny seeds grow up to be plants, shrubs, and trees, providing shelter, food, oxygen, and, for many of us, a place for quiet reflection and joy.

Here are some of the simple pleasures outside our door.

Our 15-year-old grafted fruit tree once produced four types of fruit. For several years now, production has been limited to apricots and plums, and with an active squirrel population traveling the highway known as our back fence, most of the fruit is partially eaten and tossed to the ground for night critters to feast on.

This summer is different. My youngest son is home for a time, along with his sweet pooch, a playful, burly husky/shepherd mix. Mike has a theory that the squirrels are steering clear of the dog.

To our astonishment, the tree is heavy with ripening fruit, which should be ready for picking next month.

We have a few raspberries growing in the shade of the same tree, which are melt-in-your-mouth good.

The tomato plants we bought earlier in the season are beginning to pump out green fruit. Homegrown tomatoes are the best. We have a beefsteak tomato plant in a small sun area and a cherry tomato growing near the nepeta.

The annual sweet peas came and went quickly this season, but it all worked out since I needed to make room for the established Russian sage. Every year, someone asks if they can have some seeds. When I pulled out the last vines, I left a pile along our walkway for neighbors to help themselves. I’ll send what’s left in a week to the composter.

Pink gladiolas populated the front and back gardens this year. I planted several in our curb garden last fall, feeling proud of myself for getting them into the ground on time. Then, the City of San Jose said my curbside planting box was a “safety hazard,” so when we applied for a new tree permit, they tagged the curb garden and told me it had to go. It’s a different story for another day. The gladiola bulbs have turned up in several places and are making a lovely show.

Throughout the garden, seasonal volunteers spread into empty spaces, including a single sunflower and a handful of purple nigella. Several plants are comingling with die-hard nasturtiums trailing up the salvia and just out of reach of the fruit tree.

A nasturtium with wanderlust traveled up a small table in between the slats. Nearby, an ambitious tomato plant grew out of the sides of the compost bin.

As the sun set, I took these last few shots, casting a yellow glow across the pittosporum. Summer has arrived in San Jose.

40 thoughts on “Summer Solstice in San Jose”

    • Thank you, Jane. These grafted trees were all the rage many years ago. When my youngest son turned 10 he asked for this tree. Can you believe it? We had a friend at the time working at Almaden Nursery. They delivered it and planted it for the occasion. They can graft four stone fruits onto a tree, or four types of apples. In our case, the peach graft remained small and suffered from leaf curl every year. We’re delighted to have what we have, and even when the tree doesn’t share fruit its a lush green shade provider. I hope your summer is off to a good start.

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  6. Ms Alys, Always a good picturesque read!Thanks for making my stationary bike ride enjoyable, or should I say tolerable? 😂🫂Sent from my iPhone

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    • Happy Solstice, Eliza.

      I love being in the garden this time of year. Spring flowers still produce, summer is warming the seating places, the bees are active and now a pooch to patrol the fruit tree. The cats are put out, but we’ve installed a Catio with multiple levels and fresh air and warmth. It’s working out.

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  13. Your garden is a piece of heaven on earth. I would love sitting in it and pulling weeds all day long. It almost cradles you. Even the dog is happy to be out there in the garden. What a sweet face he has.

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    • Hello Marlene and thank you for your kind observations. I wish you lived closer. I sat on the paving stones yesterday watching the bees and what I think might have been a damselfly, possibly a dragonfly. It landed on a nearby flower and stayed for several minutes, but the bright sun and sheer wings prevented any succesful photo. I had fun sitting there though, comforted by my green surroundings.

      That pooch is a love. He has the most expressive eyes.

      I hope your settling in to your bright, new home. xo

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  15. I love that you’ve made a heaven on earth for pollinators and that the sweet foolish-faced doggo is making your future fruit harvest a whole lot less attractive! Amazing what a boon to gardeners dogs can be despite the obvious hazards. We find ourselves far less troubled by destructive black and sulphur-crested cockatoos, ibis, and the neighbourhood cats who find our vegetable beds so irresistible as bathrooms.

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    • Thank you, Kate. The garden is my joy and my solace. It nurtures my creativity, provides exercises and fresh air, and I’m always learning. I’m glad your doggos are safeguarding the vegetable beds. Do you have any tips for a dog the frequently urinates on a ground cover that now smells and looks done for?

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      • There are liquids you can spray to repel animals, but what they’d do to your ground cover is uncertain. The organic wisdom is to break the scent cycle by spraying the area with soapy water, which apparently breaks the pheromone in the pee. You can also try citronella oil, which they hate. Our doggos constantly pee on my agaves, which don’t seem to notice at all!

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    • Thank you, Laurie. I love tending my garden, and since going native many years ago, I can see the benefits: more butterflies, praying mantis, and the ever-important bees. I still have outliers (non-native) but the balance seems to be working.

      I hope you’re gettng maximum joy from your garden, Laurie. I know you worked hard at the start of the season to get things just right.

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  17. Beautiful garden and I am happy the pup is keeping those pesky squirrels away. I do battle with them all the time especially since our property backs up to an open wooded space. I’ve taken to growling and pretending like I am a mountain lion or something (which we have here) and it terrifies the squirrels and they run off. I had my sister laughing the other day when talking to her on the phone while in the backyard – I said “hold on one moment, I need to growl” and she lost it laughing as I am sure I sound like an idiot but it worked! :-)
    Enjoy your fruit harvest :-)

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    • You are hilarious! I would like video of you growling at the squirrels, and I’ve no doubt your sister lost it hearing it over the phone. I didn’t realize you lived so close to the woods. I guess the squirrels are confident since they’re day-eaters and the lions are nocturnal. That’s my working theory anyway.

      The plums are coloring nicely, so it won’t be long now.

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