I watch the sky a lot, watching for wind, gauging the strength of it. Medium strength winds can send a sailboat skimming across the water in a perfect afternoon sail. But if you double that force in summer when all the trees and shrubs have lofted their billows of leaves – you can have problems. We had an afternoon in June where the wind gusted up to 45mph and swirled past the garden beds. Branches broke. Perennials snapped off at the base. My one tree rose cracked its trunk and did a face plant in the dirt. I vowed to plant only short plants in the future. But now when that storm is just a meteorological memory, I can see that the wind wove my garden into a surprising tapestry. Hollyhocks lean into Rose Campions. Shasta Daisies poke up through Rose foliage. Perennial Linaria wander throughout in shades of light pink and lavender. These color and texture combinations would not occur in an orderly garden where all the plants are forced to stand upright in their place like schoolchildren lining up for a class photo. My garden is more like recess on a beautiful day. The plants are supposed to stay in the playground, but they are free to move and combine as wind and weather encourage them.

I propped up the tree rose and tied it to a strong stake. We’ll see what the next storm brings.