Saturday, August 16, 2008

August Blooms are Appreciated

It is easy to collect a nice bunch of spring and early summer-blooming perennials. August blooms are for the extra-patient souls. These plants go about looking unimpressive in the early summer, sometimes even with ugly foliage. Then finally, they provide color when the rest of the perennials have had their dead heads whacked off.

First garden-purchase at the dollar store. I need to find a taller stake for it though, because it gets covered in mud every time it rains!


Flowers in the hot August sun, probably wishing they could run across the street for a dip in the lake.


Blooming now:
  • Daylilies,
  • Threadleaf coreopsis,
  • the last of the LA hybrid lilies,
  • Liatris spicata,
  • Achillea millefolium (I think their lateness is a bit unusual),
  • Echinacea purpurea,
  • Thalictrum,
  • Clematis mandshurica (first year of blooms),
  • Malva moschata,
  • Gentiana dahuria,
  • Gentiana septemfida (soon),
  • Gaillardia grandifolia,
  • some Scabiosa,
  • Aconitum napellus is a bit late, but should be blooming soon.
  • and a few annuals including sunflowers and asters.
Daylily "Summer Wine":


Clematis mandshurica,
started from seed three years ago. These are my first blooms. I grew them because of the promise of a lovely scent, and indeed the scent is better than I ever imagined. These are delicious! This clematis does not climb until it is well-established. Mine is growing at the base of a cedar shrub.


Gentiana dahurica,
a slightly-sprawling hardy perennial plant with long slender leaves and clusters of bright blue flowers along its stems. It looks great in a mixed border.


A thriving annual, Marigold "Doubloon" that I planted over at my sister-in-law's place. Other than the fact that its color clashes with some of the other plants, it looks quite fabulous.


Butterfly (or moth?) on Achillea millefolium. This perennial, along with Echinacea and Liatris spicata, is a butterfly magnet.

I am always searching out some more late-blooming hardy perennials to add to my garden. Does anyone know of some good choices?

3 comments:

Jane O' said...

I have several purchases from the dollar store and yard sales in my garden. If you make a wise choice, no one knows what you paid for it.
Love that daylily, the color is fantastic.

Vancouver Isle Doug said...

I just scanned you plant list and don't see any Butterfly bushes? Buddleia. Just a thought. We have 8 or 10 that came with the house and the scent en masse is wonderful. We have light purple, dark purple and some MASSIVE white flower heads. I also have some lovely Japanese Anemones that are blooming now, about 1.5 meters high with large pink flower on erect stalks. The form colonies and ours appear to be doing just that. Good thing they are on a hill behind the greenhouse where they are free to roam. Not sure off hand of the name though - sorry.

Signe said...

I mus say, that the raised bedds are verry beautifull.