So, what’s a gardener who gardens for her profession, passion and lifeline to do when she discovers she has a pretty severe allergy to bees?

A.  Have a panic attack, or several?
B.  Have a nervous breakdown?
C.  Have a midlife crisis?
D.  Become a total shut-in, an agoraphobic?
E.  Never go outside again?
F.  Take the advice of Glennon Doyle Melton (Momastery) that we can do hard things, and make that appointment to see an allergist?

After I did A, B, C, D, and E, I chose F, and following a positive blood test and a positive skin-allergy test that was so positive it required Benadryl and Zyrtec and then the EpiPen injection, I have started venom immunotherapy for my allergy to yellow-jacket wasps. They are the ones that look like bees, but are not so cute and fuzzy or nice. In fact, they are very aggressive. My current strategy is to have my weekly allergy shots so that I will no longer have this allergy and in the meantime to wear a fanny pack with my Benadryl and EpiPen. I’m still looking for the fanny pack, but Shopbop has some supercute ones. My strategy also includes using the buddy system when I garden. Luckily, I have gotten busy enough that I needed to hire several gardeners to help with my workload.

I am also revamping my garden. The Summer 2014 theme is Stunning Foliage. Yes, I will still have beautiful flowers, like my favorite lilies and monarda and hydrangea and Sungold indeterminate tomatoes, but I will take a break from my beloved cleomes and cosmos and purple asters. I’ll also get rid of one pear tree, and the pear tree that stays will get heavily pruned. Then I will add stunning coleus–fishnet stocking, Kong and others–and loads of elephant ears and ornamental grasses.

Cheers to what doesn’t kill you makes you stronger!