I had carefully shaped and pinched back my Phlox paniculata during the spring and early summer, to stagger the bloom time and to create a more pleasing form. It would have all worked out perfectly, had a hungry deer not wandered by one night and sampled the Phlox. Now, the display looks odd, weird, not what I had in mind, even though I've managed to salvage the remains.
Gardening is a humbling experience, exposing the fallacy that we are in control. It reminds us that we are not in control, no matter how much our urbanized, mechanized lifestyle suggests otherwise. All of us are at the mercy of nature, whether that comes in the form of wildfires, hurricanes, heat and drought, or even hungry deer. Nevertheless, we forge on, still planning and tending in the face of it all. Gardeners must be the most optimistic people on Earth.
Have a great weekend everybody, and make no small plans.