Shifting Moods

Nearing the end of August, I find that, more than ever, my mood shifts from one of "Wow, my garden kicks ass!" to "Wow my garden is a pile of poop." 

Because there are always a boat-load of improvements that need to be made and many of them involve moving plants around which I can't really safely do yet, I'm forced to just grin and enjoy the imperfections. 

And do the deadheading.  

My wheelbarrow is full, more often than it's empty.

But even though many plants are finishing up, others are just getting started. 

Kaffir Lily (Schizostylis Hesperantha coccinea)

All my red hollyhocks (Alcea rosea) are finishing up when,
out pops a dark burgundy-black beauty! 

Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum) with a Phlox (P. paniculata)

A red Hardy Lobelia is beloved by both me and the bee!
(L. x speciosa 'Tania')

This pink hardy Lobelia is also a pretty thing.

This Lobelia is planted below my towering Seven-Sons Flower which,
I'm afraid is what the bees prefer.

The sound of bees buzzing near the Seven Son's Flower (Heptacodium miconioides)
is deafening. And lovely. 

I cut my Tamarix ramosissima back hard and lookie the blossoms!

My Rosa 'Jeanne LaJoie' is blooming again.

Salvia 'Amistad' is gaining girth.

 And now for some garden shots.

Red Four O'Clocks, Pink-flowering Sedums and Daboecia cantabrica 'Waley's Red'

Fuchsias and Thalictrum 'Hewitt's Double'

And the same area from the opposite angle
The peachy colored blossom is Canna 'Freckles'

Sedum spectabile 'Autumn Joy' is about to color up.

Kind of messy here....

One of my new rusty finds this summer... a small vintage cultivator
and Coreopsis 'Mercury Rising'

Here is one of the three watermelons on this humble bramble of a bush.
The record-breaking heat has been good for something.

The 'Tri-Star' strawberries have really done well this year.
The secret, we've learned, is to not let the soil dry out.
Don't ask me about our water bill.

How is your gardening mood?

Lots of Photos and a Few Questions

The days are winding down so I've been taking photos like mad. 

Dahlia 'Dutch Explosion' is still exploding.

Abutilon 'Nabob' is such a sweet thing.

Rosa 'Jacques Cartier' is one of my favorite roses. Every few days it puts out a few roses for me to bring inside. 

This crazy Alstromeria has been blooming nonstop since it began back in May. 

Rosa 'Jeanne LaJoie' is a miniature climber that I love. 

Pelargonium 'Filbert' is still blooming. 

I purchased Indigofera kirilowii from Nowlen's Bridge Perennials 
in early July. I cut it back and it came back strong. 

Thanks to multiple trips to Fry Road Nursery in the past several years,
I've got Fuchsia madness in my garden. This one is 'Baby Ann'.

F. hatsbashi is a "climber" but needs support. It also reseeds! 

F. 'Baby Ann' 

Another shot of 'Baby Ann.' I can't help myself. 

Fuchsia 'Island Sunset' is a variegated cascading variety. And hardy!

The foliage on these little Impatiens is getting sad but the flowers are still cute.

Impatiens species from Fry Road. I am going to attempt to winter over this tender guy. 

Tinantia erecta that I grew from seed is still blooming. Such a darling shade-lover. 

The stamens remain after the petals have dropped.
They remind me of little tongues. 

The other day, my Melianthus major really captivated me with a sprinkling of dew.
I took a bunch of photos. 

Overkill, yes but you have to admit this foliage is pretty cool. 

On the left, you can see I expanded this bed a bit to make room for next year's growth
(hopefully) on my clump of Japanese Blood Grass. 

Random shot of the north part of the garden. The Heptacodium miconioides (Seven-Son Flower)
is dropping its leaves and making a mess. 

Question One:  

Here is a shot of my Seven-Son Flower. It's been in the ground here
since 2002 so it's quite mature. However you can see that it has failed
as it does every years, to form the pink calyxes. 

Here you can see that a few have formed. 

And here, sorry for the blur. 

And here. But why doesn't it form them like it's supposed to? Any idea what I could
be doing wrong? It's in full sun. I've experimented with watering
and neither wet or dry soil seems to make a difference.
Any suggestions would be most appreciated. Thanks. 

Question Two: 

In the red pot is Astilbe 'Color Flash'. The leaves are solid green but they're supposed to look like this: 

My question is, how much sun does it need to color up? 

The garden