This summer may be one largely lived outdoors, where the safest place to see a friend or escape the four walls of your home is in your backyard or on your balcony or roof deck.
But summer is not always so cooperative, and by mid-July, the heat, bugs and humidity can undo the best-laid summer plans, sending all but the hardiest back into their air-conditioned cocoons. Try to enjoy the flowers you so lovingly planted on Mother’s Day, and your shoulders are soon scorched. Invite a few friends over for a socially distant glass of wine, and the bugs may show up for a snack, too.
However, with a little planning and some well-positioned umbrellas (and maybe a little bug spray), the garden you worked hard to create can give back all summer long.