For the most part, my garden is a spring garden. It reaches its fullest potential in the spring, and declines from summer onward. That makes sense since spring is my favorite season. I don't much like the heat and drought of summer, and by fall I'm usually too tired to want to look at my garden. Right about now I'm at the point where I would like to take a break from gardening, but I have dreams already that next year will be better. I have two large beds badly in need of renovation, including one that I've already made a start on since I have so many plants that I acquired over the course of the summer that need to get in the ground. So -- no break for me.
That preamble is all by way of a disclaimer to explain why there are sparse blooms on everything, and you are probably going to see weeds in the following pictures. The garden is tired and so am I.
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| Begonia boliviensis blooms draped over the foliage of two other Begonias grown for their interesting leaves |
The tuberous Begonias are still going, but even they are starting to look like they're nearly at an end. They've been flowering machines all summer long, so I can't complain.
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| Tuberous Begonia |
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| These poor hanging tuberous Begonias got hit with a little moss-killing dust when the guys came and treated my roof, but they seem to have survived |
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| Dahlia 'Black Beauty' grown from seed, in the newly renovated Ruby Red Death Bed (see my recent post here) |
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| Dahlia 'Black Beauty' closeup |
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| Cactus Dahlia bought on sale recently at McLendon's Hardware store, waiting to be planted |
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| Dinnerplate Dahlia with no name in the cutting garden |
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| Lupine 'My Castle' |
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| Daucus carota 'Dara' |
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| Geranium x oxonianum 'Wargrave Pink' produces a flush of flowers in the spring and then flowers sporadically all summer long, even with limited watering |
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| Calamagrostis brachtricha -- when I planted these clumps a few years ago I split several gallon-size plants, and they are finally starting to beef up |
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| Stipa tenuissima |
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| Geranium 'SAnn Folkard' -- I cut all the long runners back a few weeks and she has rewarded me with a few new flowers |
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| Corydalis lutea |
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| Oh my fried brain -- the name escapes me |
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| Geranium x oxonianum 'Wargrave Pink' and Corydalis lutea |
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| Panicum 'Northwind' waiting to go in the bed that I'm working on redoing right now |
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| Our recent rain has already produced some fresh Echinacea flowers |
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| The first flush of Echinacea flowers ages in place |
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| Sedum 'Autumn Joy' |
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| Heliopsis |
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| Panicum 'Rotstrahlbusch' is one of the most drought-tolerant plants in my garden -- it gets no summer water |
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| Aloe 'Christmas Carol' |
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| Aloe 'Christmas Carol' |
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| Pregnant Onion bloom |
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| One flower cluster on Leycesteria formosa |
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| All the previous flowers have turned into berry drupes like this one |
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| More Sedum 'Autumn Joy' along the front near the street |
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| Echinacea 'White Swan' |
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| Orange Alstroemeria |
That's just about everything I could find. Hope you are having a wonderful September!
Carol at May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers Bloom Day. You can check out her post
here.
