July's Salute

Crepe Myrtle in July Against a Clear Blue Sky
Elkridge, MD
July 25, 2019

My favorite month of the year is slipping by at what seems to be an ever increasing pace. There are only five days remaining in July and 

The pool is beginning to show the signs of the lengthening summer, but the water is fantastic. The days this week have been idyllic with cooler temperatures and lower humidity. The Crepe Myrtle are in full bloom and dropping their petals into the pool at an alarming rate and require frequent removal. They are pretty gracing the surface of the pool, however. We have two colors of Crepe Myrtle around the pool, violet and red. When the petals mix in the pool it makes it look as if someone has covered the surface with confetti. I was not particularly smart in planting the Crepe Myrtle so close to the pool, but they were very small those few short years ago when I planted them. They are not towering over the pool and providing much needed afternoon shade, and color. 

July is the month when the Crepe Myrtle begin to bloom and unlike the Lilacs of springtime, their flowers and color will last for the remainder of the season well into September. 

As July slips by and August arrives next week my favorite month of the year will have passed, but the memories will remain.

-- Bob Doan, Elkridge, MD