A look out the kitchen window into the flower garden this morning revealed the usual lilies, zinnias and petunias in bloom. The tiger lilies green buds hang down waiting for their turn to open. In this hot, dry season I’m lucky to have color.

Listening to the spit, spit, spit of the sprinkler rotating on the vegetable garden, I move to the patio for a bowl of cereal and hope something new might be blooming in the flower garden. Then I saw it, the garden phlox is starting to show color.

Late last summer I planted two. I’ve had them before, but as many plants, they either didn’t perform or encountered a disease.

Now the new varieties stand ready to bloom. Phlox is susceptible to powdery mildew but the new varieties have been bred against it.

Garden phlox is an old favorite and reminds me of a gentler time in life. Perhaps it portrays images of English cutting gardens. Regardless, I’m glad to see the new color unfolding.

The sun is already bearing down on the blooms. After a good drink last night the plants all seem ready for another hot July day in Nebraska.

We may complain about the heat but the majority of the flowers seem to thrive in the sun.

Breeders have developed sun patients and sun coleus for the color and texture we crave in our landscapes if we don’t have shade. I’m lucky as I currently have a mix of shade and sun.

A rather unusual craving I have is dill. I have a nice patch of it in the veggie garden which I can see from my patio. The flat heads are currently a lime green on long dark stems. When the breeze is right and you are close by the fragrance can be detected. Yum.

I even clip dill for adding to bouquets. I admit the smell makes me sneeze but it is just so pretty with flowers.

Later when the seed heads develop and dry, friends will be able to clip them to add to jars of cucumbers for pickles. As new growth appears in the dill patch later on, I’ll clip and dry it to use in dishes including chip dips and creamed peas.

I’m not sure why I think I always need something new blooming in the gardens. Sometimes we just need to look around and remember the pleasures of the simple things, including dill. Enjoy looking out your kitchen window this July and enjoy the pleasures of summer.