The Last Day of Augst

August may be winding down but I'm not giving up on summer. No way.

Here are some random photos of a garden still going strong.

Hibiscus moscheutos 'Kopper King'

Here is the backside of that bed.

The white flowers on the left are Gardenia 'Frostproof'. The shrub, planted in 2013 is almost four feet tall.

I think this might be Fuchsia 'Flash'

Clematis versicolor

Such cute little bi-colored bells

A darling Clematis hybrid from my friend Deborah in Ohio.

One of our three strawberry troughs. There is not much activity in June but the summer berries are prolific!

This is a day-neutral variety called 'Aroma'. They're fantastic.

The 'Fall Gold' raspberries are equally delicious.

'Tritonia disticha subsp. 'Rubrolucens' ... bulbs from Debs across the pond. Aren't they pretty?

A short story:

At least ten years ago a wind storm took out my single-trunk Crape Myrtle "tree". I was heartbroken but purchased another one, planted it in an adjacent bed and forgot about my earlier casualty. Two years ago, I was surprised to see a single stem of familiar looking foliage jutting upward through the thicket of perennials, in the exact spot where the earlier crape myrtle had died. Below is a photo of it today. Apparently there was enough root left to nourish a new plant. And is it every happy! Lesson: Don't be too quick to assume a plant is dead.

Crape Myrtle in full bloom

A few woodland gems

One of my rock garden areas where Silene shafta is a happy camper.

The foliage on 'Orion' hardy Geranium is really cool but the plant gets HUGE. I may need to relocate this guy.

 

'Santa Cruz' Fuchsia with 'Glowing Embers' Hydrangea

A bit of organized chaos

My weird obsession with rocks. All of these were found with holes in them.

Who doesn't love a little pot of Hens & Chicks?

Or a BIG pot of Hens & Chicks?

Talinum (or Phemeranthus) calycinus is such a great plant but completely disappears in winter. Hence the pot.

Persicaria 'Fat Domino' with its vibrant red spikes. 

'Fat Domino' with 'Shenandoah' Switch Grass (Panicum) in front.

A happy clump of Garlic Chives (Allium tuberosum)

Dahlia 'Rip City' on the right. I've had this one for several years.

These are new Dahlias this year. In front, D. 'Spider Woman' and behind, 'Contraste'.

Dahlia 'Sorbet' is another plant resurrection. Purchased in 2016, it was a no-show last year.

Long-lived Dahlia 'Park Princess'

This is an old photo of Dahlia 'Bonne Esprance' The plant is so big this year and a blooming machine.

New this year, this irresistible Scabiosa Gelato™  Blueberry. I'll let you know if it survives the winter.

Finally, below you can see both Crape Myrtle trees. The flower color is nearly identical in both. The one on the left is the resurrected one, still a bit floppy from top-heavy flowers. It will require some judicious pruning. The newer one is peaking out from behind the Banana. Here, it looks as though they're right on top of each other but there is actually a large area between them. 

 I could go on and on but I'll stop for now. I need to go outside.

Summer's Early Arrival

It's not even official yet, but the mercury has sure said, "Summer" the past few days.

The shade thermometer at 4:30 PM, today.

We have two window AC units to keep us comfy and while we know our cats are also not fans of the heat, for some reason, they prefer to stretch out on the floor in the warmer parts of the house.

Taz being silly

We had rain just one day before the heat wave so the garden is handling the heat better than the humans, or the cats. And now I'll prove it. 

I found this little Blue Pimpernel at a variety store for cheap and decided I needed to have it. It just started blooming.

Blue Pimpernel Anagallis monellii

Another little flower, Talinum calycinum just started blooming. I had it in a bed last year but it got smothered by its neighbors so I dug up all the seedlings (it reseeds beautifully) and planted them in a pot. The flowers are no bigger than a half inch in diameter, but so pretty!

Talinum calycinum

It's easy to see the male and female flower parts. No wonder they reseed so well.

This 'Double Delight' rose bush has been struggling for years under the shade of neighboring trees. I think maybe it has adapted to the low light because this is the second blossom this year. Not a bumper crop by any means but I'll take what I can get.

The uber fragrant, Rosa 'Double Delight'

While nursery hopping with my garden buddy Heather last week, I couldn't pass up getting two pots of bargain-priced hardy orchids (Bletilla ochracea). Aren't those the cutest faces?

Bletilla ochracea

I was also unable to resist two pots of Lewis Monkeyflower I recently spied. It's been on my wish list forever. I love that flower.

Lewis Monkeyflower (Mimulus lewisii) going "ahh!"

Astrantia maxima

Cool pink flowers on Rodgersia 'Bronze Peacock'

 I sowed Salvia viscosa seed in early 2015. One plant made it. And now it's blooming! 

Salvia viscosa

I'm happy that all of my little Chinese Foxglove survived.

Chinese Foxglove Rehmannia elata

The annual Rhodochiton is blooming like crazy!

Rhodochiton 'Purple Bells'

Rosa 'Lyda' survived its transplant last year.

Japanese Iris Iris ensata 'Variegata'

The first bloom on Scabiosa caucasica 'Fama' with lots more to come

Alstroemeria 'Tri-Color'

Brachyscome 'Magenta Bliss' with variegated Ivy

Rosa glauca

Rosa glauca

Clematis viticella 'Confetti'

My night-blooming phlox is doing great this year. 

Here is super sweetly fragrant Night-Blooming Phlox after 4 PM
(Zaluziankya capensis 'Midnight Candy')

And here it is before 4 PM.

And now presenting a 

Before 

& 

After 

Here is an area right by the covered patio that was terribly overgrown and messy. I had mistakenly planted my (huge) Indigofera heterantha here. Then to add insult to injury, I underplanted the area with a spreading Japanese anemone and ... (wait for it) Bishop's Weed. Yes. That was almost twenty years ago. I was dumb. There was also a hardy fuchsia squeezed in there. 

Before

In February I started digging on the dormant Indigofera and with much determination I was able to get it out of the ground and relocated to a spot where it can stretch out. The Japanese Anemones and Bishop's Weed are an ongoing chore. The hardy fuchsia wasn't nearly as difficult to relocate.

After

The focal point of the area is a comparatively compact and well-behaved 'Ruby Slippers' Hydrangea quercifolia with a few smaller edging plants.   

Here's a look from the patio. The gravel channel is for rainwater run-off from the patio roof,

And another vantage point, to the right of the area, looking out into part of the garden.

I'll probably add a few more ground covers to the area but first I want to make sure there aren't any more Japanese anemone or Bishop's Weed roots threatening to come back. 

And finally, some wide shots.

The Mock Orange, Philadelphus 'Belle Etoile' in the background.
Wow did the warm temperatures bring out its fragrance. 

You can see the aforementioned redux in the very back of this photo.
The little Thyme carpet is getting ready to bloom.
The bees are going to be so happy.

These Dianthus are not terribly thrilled with getting so much shade from the tree above them.
I might have to do some relocating this fall.

It's getting a little chaotic.

Rosa 'William Baffin' and boy have those Boxwood balls really grown!

The glorious Clematis viticella 'Madame Julia Correvon'
Not the best photo, unfortunately.

Finally:

The resident spotted towhees have abandoned not one but two nests so far this year.
This one had eggs.

Thanks for visiting, everyone. Enjoy your gardens.