Sunday, August 15, 2010

August Flowers in Spite of the Heat


We're already having one of the hottest summers on record, with little rain, which means the grass has pretty much gone dormant, but it will be back when fall arrives.  Some of the plants have gone dormant too, or at least I think that's what they're doing.  I've been hiding from the sun these days, too.  It's just too darn hot.

Still, there are plenty of blooms in the garden and each time I take a walk-through, I'm happy to see that they are trudging right along. Have a seat on the front porch swing and I'll show you what's blooming!


We love to sit here on the swing my dad made for us and relax at the end of the day.
Pelargonium x hortorum 'Showcase® Extreme Rose'





Hemerocallis 'When I Dream', given to me by Van Wade when we visited his hosta and daylily gardens last month.



Blackberry Lily (Bellamcanda chinensis 'Hello Yellow')



These Rudbeckias were volunteers. They just kept growing and growing and threatened to take over that section of the garden. They actually did choke out the Calendulas.



Hosta bloom



Endless Summer® Hydrangea macrophylla 'Blushing Bride'



Endless Summer® Hydrangea macrophylla 'Twist-n-Shout™'



Heliconia from Costa Farms



Asclepias tuberosa 'Hello Yellow'



Clematis 'Mrs Robert Brydon', a bush-type



A Clouded Sulphur (white form, female) butterfly enjoys the Butterfly Bush (Buddleia davidii).  I'm not sure of the cultivar, but it isn't 'Dark Knight', because I killed one of those before I bought this one. I killed several before I bought this one.



Convolvulus tricolor 'Ensign Blue'. Yes, it's really that blue.



Coreopsis tinctoria 'Mahogany Red', which I've grown for the last couple of years. I didn't plant any this year, but of course it reseeded. I wish it would have reseeded more because though it's tiny, I love the rich color.




Cosmos bipinnatus 'Picotee'



Euphorbia marginata 'Kilimanjaro', which I will forever and ever grow in my garden, even in the unlikely event that I don't want to grow it. With its explode-a-pop seed pods, it now grows along the edge of the field behind Max's Garden (among other places). Beautiful!



From the two flower boxes on the front porch railing - Proven Winners Verbena and Petunia 'Silverberry'.



Volunteer Chinese Forget-Me-Nots (Cynoglossum amabile)



Tropical Hibiscus by Costa Farms (purchased at Walmart)



Rose of Sharon (Hibiscus syriacus 'Blue Satin'), the target of a fly, as he zooms in for a landing! I didn't see that until I brought up the photo on my computer. Love it!







Forever & Ever® Hydrangea macrophylla 'Double Pink'



Osteospermum 'Astra Light Copper'



Miniature Rose 'Gourmet Popcorn'






English Rose 'Falstaff'



Hibiscus syriacus 'White Chiffon'



Volunteer Rudbeckias from a nearby field of weeds



Rudbeckia subtomentosa 'Henry Eilers', my favorite Rudbeckia! I'm a big fan of quilled and spooned petals.



Tricyrtis formosana 'Seiryu'. Toad lilies normally don't bloom until September and October, but this year has been anything but normal!



Tricyrtis formosana 'Dark Beauty'



Volunteer Verbena bonariensis, a very welcome self-seeder.  I like its look, and I love how the butterflies are attracted to it.



Zinnia, received from Benary at OFA Short Course in Columbus, OH, last month



I had some Nasturtium seeds left from several seasons ago so I thought I'd plant them just for the heck of it.  They grew and bloomed!




Crazy mums are blooming...



...and so are these.



I LOVE this Thalictrum rochebrunianum 'Lavender Mist'!



Gladiolus from bulbs I bought at the Chicago Flower & Garden Show in March


Ligularia 'Osiris Cafe Noir'

On the 15th of every month, Carol of May Dreams Gardens hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day, and we all get to show off what's blooming in our gardens. It's fun to see what everyone grows and what a difference a zone can make. To see other participating gardeners' blooms, visit her site for a list.

17 comments:

Unknown said...

Oooh... so many new things that I didn't get to see last year during my visit! I LOVE the 'Osiris Cafe Noir'--do the stems really look as red as they do in the pic? Gorgeous!

Rose said...

I've been hiding from the sun, too, Kylee, and letting the garden fend for itself. But oh my, you have so many lovely blooms, and your photos are stunning! I don't know where to begin, but I love the daylily and the deep red coreopsis...and well, everything else, too:) A gorgeous photo of the sulphur on the butterfly bush.

I just read your last post, too, and noticed you had spotted a Buckeye in your garden--how appropriate for an Ohio garden:) I have so many of these in my garden right now, and usually I'm lucky to see one all season. This has been an amazing season for butterflies.

Flowers said...

Nice blog. Looks like you have a delightfully low-maintenance haven.

Liz said...

Hi,

So many blooms, you’re garden is alive with colour!

I hope it cools down a little for you and you get much needed rain soon :)

Kylee Baumle said...

Kim ~ Yes, the stems are a deep mahogany color. I never actually noticed that! So, come over for another visit, Kim! You know you're always welcome! And I'm going to head your way one of these days. I've never seen YOUR garden yet!

Rose ~ I AGREE! Sooooo many more butterflies this year. I wonder if our mild winter had anything to do with it? Or the hot summer? We've got hundreds of Red-spotted Purples.

Flowers ~ Thank you!

Liz ~ Thanks! It's actually cooler this morning and supposed t be all week. Yay! Happy gardening!

Diana said...

Wow, Kylee, so many amazing blooms that I want to comment about! LOVE those toad lilies and that Mahogany Red Coreopsis - what color. And that tri-color Morning Glory. I have blue and thought that was a great color, but all three is a show stopper. Happy GBBD!

Kathy said...

I am quite taken with that euphorbia. Many species of euphorbia aren't hardy here. I'll have to see if E. marginata is.

Monica the Garden Faerie said...

Esp. love the clematis, toad lilies, and Verbena bonariensis.

Dorothy Borders said...

Such a wonderful variety of blooms - and in August!!!

Lona said...

Wow, Kylee your garden is still blooming with so many flowers. Mine are getting fewer and fewer :(
You have so many that I love. Your Euphorbia and the clematis is gorgeous! I also love your White Chiffon hibiscus. Wow! If you save seeds please remember me girl LOL!

garden girl said...

Such gorgeous blooms Kylee, in spite of the record heat.

It has been a wonderful year for butterflies here too. They add so much life, beauty, and delight to our gardens.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

Kylee Baumle said...

Diana ~ Yes, the Convolvulus is eye-catching! The Gold Bugs like them too, so keep your eyes open for them. Very cool insect!

Kathy ~ The Euphorbia is an annual, but it self-seeds readily, so if you plant them once (easy to grow from seed), and let them go to seed, you'll have them forever. They really are a beautiful plant!

Monica ~ Toad lilies are my favorites! I've got a collection and I'm always looking for more!

Lona ~ I think we can hook you up with some 'White Chiffon' seeds. ;-)

Linda ~ GBBD forces me to see the positive when the garden isn't looking its best. There's alway something to be happy about!

marmee said...

kylee,

so many wonderful things blooming in your garden. i mean tons. love the clematis and all the different hibiscus, white chiffon is a real beauty.
my favourite shot is the tropical orange with the black and white in the background.
say hi to your mom for me.
happy summer days.

Kristi said...

Lovely flower shots. I'm adding the Euphorbia marginata 'Kilimanjaro' to my wish list.

Weekend Cowgirl said...

I love, love, love flower photos!!! On day 21 of over 100 degree heat and my flowers are not looking so dandy...

Tony said...

Hi Kylee, Wanted to say you have a real nice blog. Mine looks pitful compare to yours..lol. Love all the pictures, etc.

Tony

Alex aus dem Gwundergarten said...

Wow, you showed me many flowers I haven't seen before. Great! But I also love the clematis... I must look out for that one, it's very lovely. And the Euphorbia marginata is awesome!
Take care
Alex

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