It Spawned a Sport!

Those of you who are familiar with plant-speak know that a "sport" is the part of a plant that does something different from the rest of the plant. Sports aren't all that common but do occur randomly when a plant feels like being weird. Thus is the case with my 'Sayonara' Dahlia. Check it out.

The flower on the left is a sport.

I've had this particular Dahlia for two summers now. All of the buds have opened to the velvety, crimson-red flower on the right above. And then... 

This!

I don't like it nearly as well but I think it's cute and unique so it can stay. I'll let you know if there are any more sports.

Speaking of Dahlias, September is Dahlia time! Here are a few of mine.

One of these days I'm going to research why the rulers of the Dahlia kingdom chose to call this hunky gorgeous flower 'Junkyard Dog'. 

Junkyard Dog

The plant is probably six feet tall and loaded all summer with bee-filled, six-inch blossoms. I don't understand why it's so happy when all my other Dahlias are mediocre at best.

The Dahlia below waited over a year before deciding to bloom. Of course I can't remember its name. I did a quick Google search and it might be 'Rothsay Reveller'. 

Dahlia 'Rothsay Reveller' maybe...

I just bought the Dahlia below at the Big Box. Of course the tag was useless. So, another NOID. But it's a pretty NOID and I'm hoping it's hardy.

NOID ~~ No ID Dahlia

Another (impulsive) purchase is this lovely pink Dahlia (below) with another useless tag. I don't have either of these Dahlias planted yet but they'll get placed in the perennial border for a bit of contrast from all the other stuff. 

Dahlia NOID

Dahlia 'Mz Bee Haven'

In other news, I'm really loving my paniculata Hydrangeas right now. The first one below is 'Limelight.' I used to have one years ago but because I was so terrible with my watering, it bit the dust. I'm better about it now and it shows. I purchased it last fall and although it's only about four feet tall, its flowers are so cool.

Hydrangea paniculata 'Limelight'

And here is H. p. 'Pinky Winky' still all white which is fine with me.

H. p. 'Pinky Winky'

I cut this plant all the way to the ground in late winter and it shot up to five feet with these amazing flower panicles. 

A wide shot of the area

Another late-summer bloomer are the herbaceous Hibiscus!

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Torchy'

This spring, I purchased this Chilopsis linearis 'Lucretia Hamilton' from High Country Gardens. It was a tiny thing and I had my doubts about its survival. But with ample TLC it has doubled in size and is now actually putting out a few blooms! Aren't they pretty? Of course now to get it through the winter...

Chilopsis linearis 'Lucretia Hamilton'

And then there's the similarly formed flowers of Rehmannia elata.

Rehmannia elata

Finally, my 'Avant Garde' Clematis is blooming. It was worth the wait!

Clematis 'Avant Garde'

And the below Clematis from Deborah Hardwick (a master Clemat-ician) is blooming. What an honor it is to have two of her beautiful creations. 

Clematis  'Burford Bell' x crispa

A second blooming on...

Clematis 'Inspiration'

A second blooming on this milkweed...

Asclepias speciosa

I posted in spring about this seedling Love-Lies-Bleeding. It is over five feet tall now!

Love-Lies-Bleeding

My Hesperaloe decided to bloom finally...

Hesperaloe parviflora

Red-flowered Four O'Clocks

Sedums!

Ninebark and Variegated Porcelain Vine

Farfugium japonicum 'Crispatum'

Falopia japonica variegata

More Sedums!

And finally, we have a few adorable critters running around. Here's the daddy or the mama--I'm not sure which--filling its cheeks with cracked corn we left out for it. 

Look at those fat cheeks!

Happy Camper!

Yes, that's me. I'm a happy camper because finally, there is a blossom on my Desert Four o'Clock. (Mirabilis multiflora). I've been babying this guy since last year when I purchased from Annie's Annuals. 

Mirabilis multiflora

I first saw Desert Four O'Clock at Dancing Oaks Nursery a few years ago. The blue-green, glaucus foliage is  a nice complement to the ephemeral lavender flowers. 

Mirabilis multiflora at Dancing Oaks

Here you can see that yesterday's flowers are about to wither and die and today's flowers are watching the clock.
At Dancing Oaks.

Here is my plant... growing in a very well-draining, gritty soil. There's hope.
I'm concerned about winter-wet so I think I'll keep it in its container under the patio
for at least one more winter.

This silly 'Dreadlocks' Amaranthus is going to town.

Look at the all of the baby dreads it's growing.

Oenothera kunthiana 'Glowing Magenta'
I'm so glad this lovely little plant's flowers are NOT magenta but instead a perfect pink.

I'm a little obsessed with my Candy Lily (x Pardancanda 'Sangria') Check out these colors. It's just exquisite, isn't it? But I only have one variety. Amy Campion has a bunch of them. Check out her blog post here.  I'm so jealous. 

The flowers last for only one day and then they get all twisted up like this.

Kind of looks like a family of caterpillars,  doesn't it?

I love wildflowers. Last year on a hike, I found Coastal Hedgenettle (Stachys chamissonis) growing all along a creek bed. I took just a few little tiny cuttings. They rooted. And this year those cuttings are a nice plant and that nice plant is blooming! Isn't it pretty? 

I'm sure some people consider this a weed and just in case it decides to take over the garden, I'm keeping it in a container without drain holes to mimic a bog. The plant itself isn't remarkable as you'll see below, but I like it because of the flowers. There are tons more buds.

This Meadow Rue is going gang busters. There are probably two hundred tiny button flowers on this plant. Very difficult to photograph.

Meadow Rue (Thalictrum delavayi 'Hewitt's Double') 

Phlox paniculata 'Bright Eyes'

Monarda didyma 'Balmy Rose' I love this color!

New to me this year, I'm in love with this hardy Lobelia.
I love this color too. Ha ha.

Red Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis jalapa) that wintered over beautifully and just started blooming.

More Four O'Clocks. I've got them all over one part of my garden. I love them.

Hydrangea macrophylla 'Fuji Waterfall'  new to me this year.
I bought it as a tiny cutting from Fry Road Nursery. 

Penstemon 'Enor' I finally found the right place for this beauty.
It needs as much sunshine as you can give it.

Aster 'Monch'  new to me last year.
I really like how well it mingles with other flowers.

I've been so enamored with this little Cyprus Vine for years and decided to grow it this year. It wasn't until the beginning of August that it really starting blooming. 

Cyprus Vine or Ipomoea quamoclit

The hummingbirds love them.

The flowers only last for the morning. 

By early afternoon they're doing this.

Cannas... I love them!

This Canna is called 'Bird of Paradise'.
I haven't seen blooms yet but it's the foliage I go for.

Tiny Wire Vine in a rusty can. Just for fun.

Honeybee on Anemone 'Wild Swan'

Bees on Dahlia 'Junkyard Dog'

Honeybee on Knautia 'Mars Midget'

Honeybee on Garlic Chives, (Allium tuberosum)

It took a bit of searching to get the identity of this little guy.
He is a Gray Hairstreak Butterfly.

And finally, on Saturday evening, all was quiet as I finished my garden puttering. But then I heard noises in the neighbor's yard. I got closer and through the fence, this is what I saw...

She had her mommy and several relatives with her but they moved on while she stayed, posing for my camera. It wasn't easy to capture her through the fence but I took as many photos as I could. And I was happy when I uploaded them and had one keeper. 

Thank you for your sweet comments, my friends.