Midsummer

edhelka

Language question. English isn't my 1st language and this is something that's been on my mind for some time. When you read or hear somewhere "midsummer" in the gardening context, does it always refer to the summer solstice or can it also refer to the middle of summer (late July/early August)?

BenCotto

There’s a reasonably wide acceptance that the summer months are June, July and August, respectively early, mid and late summer. 

Posy

It's just one of those things with an old language!  It really is a muddle. I love it.

Dovefromabove

It can seem confusing, but I think in general folk will use Midsummer and Midsummer's Day for the Solstice and mid-summer without the upper case letters for the more general 'middle bit of the summer season' sort of thing.  

edhelka

BenCotto said:

There’s a reasonably wide acceptance that the summer months are June, July and August, respectively early, mid and late summer. 

I would expect it spelled mid-summer then if written. Unrecognizable when spoken though.

So there are technically at least four possibilities:
- Midsummer
- July
- 1st August (traditional middle, or in countries where summer break is full July and August)
- 7th August (astrological middle)

Quite a wide range when it comes to flowering or fruting times, feeding, diseases etc.

borgadr

Good question! For me, midsummer means around now (meaning around the solstice and into July), with August being late summer (it always feels like that as the nights start to draw in). But maybe that's just me..