Thursday, August 15, 2013

August Blooms




New here this year, complements of Walters Gardens, this is 'Midnight Raider', a semi-evergreen tetraploid daylily.  They have made a beautiful addition to an area where there's lots of morning sun.  'Midnight Raider' is a reblooming daylily.  It may not rebloom its first year, but I'll be hoping, and watching for more of these beauties later this summer or in early fall.


Another trial plant sent to us by Walters Gardens this spring is this beautiful hardy hibiscus, 'Heartthrob'.  And yes, mine does (throb) when these gorgeous , dramatic 8" blooms open.



One of a bunch of hanging baskets here.  This one is New Guinea impatiens and scaveola (fan flower).  I haven't tried scaveolas here before - didn't think we'd have enough sun for them to bloom well.  Apparently I was mistaken - so glad I tried them, and will definitely grow these again here.


The foliage is nothing fancy on this hosta, but the 4 foot scapes loaded with double blooms in light pinky-lavender are pretty awesome.  I look forward to the blooms of Hosta rectifolia 'Fujibotan.' all summer, and so do the hummingbirds.



Surprise lilies were divided and spread around last year.  Some are sulking (as they often will after moving or dividing) and didn't bloom this year, but we do have a few small clumps like this. Phlox, bellflowers, and coneflowers are blooming in the background.



Wax begonias are substituting for impatiens this year - maybe every year going forward.  They are so much less thirsty than impatiens, and are great in part sun.


Phlox paniculata 'David', with Diamond Frost euphorbia.


After last year's drought, agastaches are a shadow of their previous selves this season, and one didn't return this year.  It was a surprise, as they've always seemed so drought tolerant.  Hopefully the remaining ones are gaining strength with our cooler, wetter summer, and will return big and strong next year.


Phlox, black-eyed susans, and coneflowers



This is 'Crystal Palace Gem' pelargonium.  I love the chartreuse foliage so much, I'd grow this geranium even if it never bloomed.  I took cuttings from last year's plants, rooted and overwintered them in our basement greenhouse.




Echinacea purpurea 'Butterfly Kisses' is another trial plant from Walters Gardens.  At maturity it will be a diminutive 18 inches tall.  In its first season, it's under a foot tall - perfect for this border of small and miniature plants, and oh, so cute.  That's dragon wing begonias in the hanging basket, and more Diamond Frost euphorbia in the basket and in the background.  I overwinter Diamond Frost, and they get bigger and better every year.



Another surprise lily, with calamint, black-eyed Susans, coneflowers, and agastache.  About to bloom is a pink Japanese anemone.  The tall yellow coneflowers in the background are 'Herbstonne', also known as 'Autumn Sun'.  They languished in last year's drought, stunted, mildewed, and hardly bloomed.  They're in their glory this year, like nothing ever happened.  None were lost.  'Herbstonne' may do best in full sun with moist soil, but they do extraordinarily well in our dry, part sun garden.



'Blue Paradise' phlox is blooming again, here with a pelargonium I've overwintered for years, more coneflowers, catmint, calamint, surprise lilies, and 'Mocha' heuchera villosa.  'Mocha' blooms all season, from late spring through frost - the longest-blooming heuchera I've ever seen.  Hummingbirds love 'Mocha' blooms in our garden, along with many other heuchera flowers.  The cooler weather seems to be keeping 'Mocha's foliage more greenish purple this year.  Most summers the foliage is a beautiful mocha-brown color.  


Phlox was one of the first perennials I ever grew, and they remain long-blooming favorites in our summer garden.  This one is 'Laura.' 

Happy Bloom Day everyone.  To see more August blooms, please visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

13 comments:

  1. Wow beautiful portraits. I want to blow them up and hang them on my wall. You've even got them framed for me and everything - *smile*

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    1. Thanks Kevin! I do like that frame thing in Picasa!

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  2. What a lot of lovely blooms you have, Linda! I think our August gardens really benefited from all the spring and summer rains this year. The new daylily is a stunner--you really captured the light in this photo for the perfect effect. I love the color of the hardy Hibiscus, too--we have a similar one in the Idea Garden, and it catches everyone's eyes immediately.

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    1. Thank you Rose! This definitely seems to be peak season here, slightly delayed due to the cool weather, which we are loving to no end!

      Love those hardy hisbiscus. Methinks we need more here!

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  3. Lots of beauties at your house!
    I love they way your photos have caught the light.
    Happy GBBD!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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    1. Thanks Lea! It's been a cloudy summer here - great for capturing color in the garden. Some days though when the sun is shining brightly, I've grabbed the camera and caught some photos I've really enjoyed too, especially the backlit blooms, where the colors just seem to glow.

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  4. It's all lovely! I especially love that Midnight Raider daylily. Gorgeous

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    1. Thank you Deanne!

      I love the daylily too!

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  5. I love daylilies and yours is a real beauty but your hibiscus 'Heartthrob' made my heart jump too! I love dark red flowers - I really would like to have that one! Your garden looks lovely, great photos, thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thank you - me too, Helene. I don't have much of that color, but it sure is dramatic and I'd love to add more of it.

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  6. Anonymous8:06 AM

    'Heartthrob' is one for sure. What color! Did you know I cannot grow agastaches to save my life? I've tried nearly everything, and thus far, I get them for a season if that. There is always something we cannot grow, and then those things that seem to love our climate. Thanks for sharing yours Linda.~~Dee

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    1. It's super-saturated color, Dee! I love it.

      I've had the agastaches here for a few years, and they've always done so well. They seemed fine last year too, but boy am I surprised how sad they look this year. Sorry they don't love your climate.

      It's been trial and error in this garden, that's for sure. Stuff that grew so well for me in previous gardens often just languishes our flat-out dies here. All the tree roots sure make for a challenge, but I think I've got it mostly figured out finally.

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  7. So lovely to see beautiful garden and fantastic flowers :)

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