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!

Things Are All A-Buzz

Mine really is a summer garden. I planned it that way on purpose. Yes, I have a bunch of spring bloomers because I am an incurable plant addict. But spring weather can be unpredictable and during years when the rain is constant, the spring garden can be either ruined or ignored. 

Contrarily, summer here in the Pacific Northwest is pretty much sunshine and more sunshine and July through September is when my garden is happiest and busiest with buzzing and flittering. It's when I am outside and when indoor things get ignored. 

I don't have a lot of photos this time but here's what's going on right now.

Despite my devotion to Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising' I saw this Coreopsis (below) at the Peoria Garden plant sale and decided it had better come home with me. It's much lower-growing and has more needle-like foliage. And the flowers are outstanding. (Will it survive the winter? That's the question.)

Coreopsis 'Cruzin' Main Street'

Years ago I purchased Dahlia 'Bonne Esperance' from a local retailer. I can't recall how it met its demise but when I saw it on sale at Swan Island Dahlias, I knew it needed to be in my garden once again. It's a low-grower with clear pink, single flowers. 

Dahlia 'Bonne Esperance' blooming beside Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'

This volunteer Love-Lies-Bleeding is anything but a low-grower! It's taller than my five feet now which is a good thing because it offers a bit of shade for the Fuchsia and Farfugium behind it. I'm going to let it go to seed again this year. It's a cool plant.

Love-Lies-Bleeding 'Dreadlocks' came true from seed from last year's plant.

There is something kind of magical about Scabiosa 'Fama' with its extra-large, flouncy flowers. The honeybees apparently agree. 

Scabiosa caucasica 'Fama'

I know for many, if not most gardeners, Pennyroyal is considered a smelly weed. But I love it. The pungent aroma reminds me of my childhood years traipsing along the shores of the North Umpqua River where it grew. For me it doesn't misbehave like the typical mint but I still grow it in a pot with lots of water. It smells wonderful and the honeybees love it.

Pennyroyal (Mentha pulegium) in full bloom. 

I moved my Indigofera (no small feat) this spring to an all-day sun area and it has recovered beautifully. I really love the foliage and flower on this plant. 

Foliage and flower on Indigofera heterantha.

My Digiplexis survived our mild winter but just sat there in its pot for months. Finally now it's fixing to bloom.

Digiplexis 'Illumination Flame'

I think the foliage on this hardy Geranium is especially cute when adorned with the droppings of spent flowers of the Seven Son Flower (Heptacodium miconioides). 

Geranium pratense 'Victor Reiter'

One of the highlights of the summer garden is the hardy Fuchsias I've collected. Below is 'Baby Ann' in all her glory growing alongside a native sword fern. 

Fuchsia 'Baby Ann'

I've been watering my Japanese Blood grass a lot and it is really filling in. I love everything about this grass.

Japanese Bloodgrass (Imperata cylindrica 'Rubra') partnered with a full grown
Hypericum androsaemum 'Glacier' seedling

And a few wide shots. Please pardon the imperfections.

Drive-By Shootings of the Camera Kind

A FEW WEEKS AGO, I HAPPENED upon this lovely front yard garden. There was no one around so I didn't get permission to take photos but that has never stopped me and it didn't this time. I've never seen such beautiful clumps of Red Flax.

Red Flax Linum grandiflorum var. rubrum

I wish the owner would have been there so I could ask how she got these
beauties to grow so well. I've never had much luck. 

This looks like German Catchfly or Viscaria oculata also a gorgeous clump.

Other goodies in the garden...

all in this busy, vibrant front garden. 

Beside it, was this tree, a Dogwood of some kind, with ladybug-like fruits...  

on foliage already celebrating autumn. 

Here is another front garden that caught my eye. 

How is this for a gorgeous stand of weeping Love-Lies-Bleeding?

It was also growing along the fence. 

And here we have a "weeping" stand of Joe Pye, after the rain. 

Finally, I had to take a photo of this hell strip planted with orange Zinnias.
I'm thinking this might be in celebration of Oregon State University, just a few blocks away.
OSU's colors are orange and black. 

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I got a lot done in the garden this weekend. After all the rain we've had, the soil is easy to work so weeds are getting the heave ho. I hope you all have a wonderful week.