Mid-Atlantic Midsummer

By Kate Irvine

Things have been hot (literally) and heavy these last few weeks with all the information that's been dumped on you about wildfire-and-smog-resistant plants, so we're taking a break this week from the doom and gloom.

After all, we’re just a month past Midsummer, the period of time falling around the Summer Solstice - typically June 23, 24, 25 - while most of us in the Western hemisphere consider middle-summer to basically be right smack dab in mid-to-late July. Mid-Atlantic Midsummer is a time for reaping the fruits of our labors, basking in the golden glow of warm, afternoon sun chowing down on a juicy homegrown heirloom tomato and mayo sandwich, and pondering the future endeavors of autumn.

While traditional Midsummer is celebrated at the end of June in many Nordic and Slavic countries, there’s really nothing stopping us from continuing its traditions well into North American July. Especially because we didn’t have much of a choice with the bizarre (read: unhinged) weather we’ve experienced this year that stunted plant growth in even steadfast selections and vegetable crops. This is a time to celebrate our efforts and enjoy the inhabitants of our gardens and landscapes that we’ve waited so long for, and have worked so hard to tend.

So, in the spirit of Midsummer, we bring you both native and traditional selections suitable for ringing in the height of the season.

For Dew Collecting:

Thought to promote health and make the complexion brighter. Dew-collecting plants like grasses can be laid in directly (preferably unclothed), or dew can be collected with a linen cloth the morning of Midsummer’s Eve.

Alchemilla mollis | lady’s mantle
Andropogon sp. | bluestems
Danthonia spicata | poverty oat grass
Eragrostis spectabilis | purple love grass
Panicum virgatum | switchgrass
Schizachyrium scoparium | little bluestem

The Seven Flowers (Also Useful for Flower Crowns & Wreaths!):

Collect seven sprigs of seven individual flowers, to be placed under the pillow the night of Midsummer’s Eve. The Seven Flowers are thought to reveal one’s true love/the one they will marry… with asterisks, of course. It’s suggested that you collect your 7-flower bouquet in silence for the most potent effects, staying mute from harvest to pillow, but if you want to take it a step further to up your chances, you can do the following:

Jump over seven fences (called “gärdesgård”) separating meadows on your journey, one between each flower
Do everything backwards - walk backwards, jump over fences backwards, and plan your route back to your pillow backwards. All silently, of course!

- Achillea millefolium | yarrow
- Achillea ptarmica ‘Peter Cottontail’ | yarrow
- Allium schoenoprasum | chives
- Armeria maritima | sea thrift
- Campanula glomerata | clustered bellflower
- Campanula rotundifolia | harebell
- Centaurea montana | cornflower
- Corydalis sp. | corydalis
- Galium odoratum | sweet woodruff
- Geranium pratense | cranesbill
- Geranium sanguineum | cranesbill
- Hypericum sp. | St. John’s wort
- Lupinus sp. | lupine
- Prunella vulgaris | self-heal
- Sanguisorba officinalis | burnet
- Scabiosa columbaria | pincushion
- Tanacetum vulgare | tansy
- Thymus praecox | thyme
- Thymus serpyllum | thyme
- Veronica spicata | spiked speedwell

Oak Branch Garlands:

Typically gathered by the male members of a village, oak branches would be given to the women who would then weave peonies, jasmine flowers, and other wildflowers onto them to create celebratory garlands for thresholds and fences.

Jasminum nudiflorum | winter jasmine
Paeonia sp. | peony
Quercus sp. | oak

Search for the Fabled Fern Flower:
Nordic Midsummer lore includes the mythical midsummer fern flower, said to only bloom in the deepest forests at midnight and thought to bring good fortune to the lucky finder. And luck you’ll need, because it’s protected by evil forces. In the meantime, here are some ferns with visually interesting fertile frond structures that you could consider fern flowers:

Matteuccia struthiopteris | ostrich fern
Onoclea sensibilis | sensitive fern
Osmunda cinnamomea | cinnamon fern
Osmunda regalis | royal fern