Monday, August 15

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2011

'Sparkling Burgundy' eucomis, heuchera, and oakleaf hydrangea

August is always an exciting, but bittersweet, time in the garden. It's exciting to see the late summer bloomers, like the Japanese anemone and the pineapple lily featured above, return. And it's always fun to see where the tall verbena decide to reseed themselves.

Verbena bonariensis, stretching from a tiny driveway crack to mingle with the urn plantings

At the same time, may of the tropicals hit their second wind:

 Unknown brugmansia, a cutting from the botanical garden a few years back

And it's always fun to see how well the drought-tolerant annuals have fared.  In the front yard, that means the usual snapdragons, portulaca, and 'Black and Blue' salvia, along with the new-to-my-garden "Mexican sunflower, a.k.a. tithonia.

 Salvia gauranitica 'Black and Blue' in front of a blue caryopteris

Unnamed orange-flowering tithonia, emerging from red sedum.
(Highlight provided by 'Sun Power' hosta.)

In the backyard, the drought-tolerant 'Vodka' wax begonias are joined by a different variety of lantana than I usually plant, and a surprisingly drought-tolerant fuchsia:

'Bandana Cherry' lantana--the flowers on this are so variable in color that I'll definitely choose a different variety next year.

 The surprisingly resilient 'Gartenmeister Bonstedt' fuchsia triphylla and 'Vodka' wax begonias, both currently overrun by lotus vine foliage.


The bittersweet part of August comes with the knowledge that there are mere weeks left of the growing season. So many good intentions and best-laid plans have come to naught, so many missed opportunities have passed me by. There's nothing to be done about it now, though, except enjoy the last big flush of the native honeysuckle agains the neighbor's house and the blue sky... while I still can.



For years now, Carol at May Dreams Gardens has been hosting Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day on the 15th of every month. To see what's blooming around the world right now, visit her August Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post here. Or scroll down to see the rest of my own August bloom list.  Happy GBBD!


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Other plants also in bloom today: True blue plumbago, hardy blue plumbago, bronze fennel, 'Hameln' pennisetum, oregano, almost all of the hostas, regular Japanese anemones, lots of 'Vista Burgundy' annual salvia, everbearing strawberries, 'Hopi Red Dye' amaranth, the orange-and-yellow gladioli that decided to resurrect themselves after several years' rest, Russian sage, broccoli (darn it), 'Purple Dragon' lamium, red pentas, red and other self-sown snapdragons, various caryopteris, achillea, and at least 4 different kinds of basils.

8 comments:

BernieH said...

You have loads of wonderful flowers in your garden. The Eucomis is a stunner, and the Fuchsia/Begonia combination looks terrific.

Lisa at Greenbow said...

All of your flowers look so pretty. I love the gartenmeister fushcia. I have grown it before after seeing yours I must do it again. Your tithonia is the shortest I have ever seen. Did you get it out later or did you cut is back to keep it low? It is pretty at any height. All of your tropicals are amazing to me. I can't ever keep them going through winter so I have basically given up on them. Happy GBBD.

Paul From Alabama said...

Nice garden and we grow many of the same things. I especially like 'Sparkling Burgundy', love the color of the leaves and the color of the little flowers on the wands.....

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

While I'm not a fan of brown in the garden, you do it so well. I'm just wowed by your 1st vignette. The fuschia clan are tougher than they seem. As they overwinter inside so easily (even if you forget to water), its worth getting more of them. I like your simple flowered form. My garden could use it. (Who am I kidding, I want them all!)

Lona said...

Your garden is still looking beautiful. I love the Sparkling Burgundy eucomis

Unknown said...

Thank you, Bernie... I'd trade them all for that huge, gorgeous cycad in your GBBD post, though! Love that. :)

Greenbow Lisa, isn't that tithonia crazy?!?! Last year, I admired one that a neighbor had growing by their telephone pole, and it was at least 3ft tall. These are... not quite a foot, even. I'm not sure what's going on--it's the first time I've seen them offered at a local garden center, so maybe the seed the grower used was some kind of a dwarf strain? Very odd!

Paul from Alabama, it's so funny that we grow some of the same things... with it being so warm down there, and so cold up here, during the winter! I agree re: the little eucomis flowers. I'm very glad that it's planted near the sidewalk so I can appreciate them on my way to the car every morning. :)

MMGD, thank you--although the brown oakleaf hydrangea flowers are kind of an accidental addition to the brown, I admit. I just don't deadhead them because I love to see a few hang on through much of the wintertime.

(And I'm with you on the fuchsias... I hate to admit it, but I want them all, too! :)

scottweberpdx said...

It's hard to believe fall is just around the corner...maybe that's what makes so many of these late-summer bloomers so beloved...they are our last hurrah!

Cassy said...

Such a beautiful flower garden. I love those lovely flowers.

We also have some of those flowers at home.

Cassy from Acoustic Guitar Lessons

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