End of summer blooms

Cat, I think you captured that flutterby beautifully!! When I try to photograph them, I have to sneak up on them ever-so-slowly to try to get as close as I can ... 'cause I don't remember where my camera is and I use my iPod for pictures. LOL!!

Gita, I think your Hydrangea looks really cool with the combination of colours. It may be undecided, but I think it's pretty! :)

Jen, such wonderful shots of "things with wings"!! =)

thanks, Speedie! :-)

And Gita, I think your hydrangea is lovely, too!

Lovely blooms, everyone. I haven't seen my gardens for a while because we are vacation at Rehoboth Beach, DE. Wonder what the gardens look like now.

The Lisianthus take a LONG time to germinate, grow large enought to put outdoors, and bloom. They are my favorite annuals, however, so I go thru that drill every year.

I collect the Blushing Suzie seeds only when I have the time to tie a dried, used teabag around a bloom to catch the seed that will pop out and never be found.

Can't remember if they bloomed true.

This is a clematis left from previous owner that I thought was dead but lo here it is today not only back to life but blooming!!

I'm not sure what cultivar it is, but it seems like there aren't many with only five petals. Maybe 'Galore'?

It's okay, but not one I would have chosen for myself.

Cat--
Plant another blooming vine below it and let them intermingle....
Something not very tall--just moderate...

I have seeds for a MG called "Blue Picotee". (Ipomoea Nil type
--Kikiyo). It may even have some pinks mixed in.
It is a lovely bloomer--with pretty lobed leaves. Well behaved.....

Let me know if you want some seeds....

here....Gita

oh, Gita, I'd love some! They would look very pretty together! thanks so much!

cat--
Please remind me when you come to dig the iris....OK?
We all can look through all my seed collection and you both
can take what you want....

There are plenty to choose--and all are VERY well organized.

Gita

Hmmm...
Let me see if I have anything that qualifies as "end of summer" blooms..

1--My Calla Lily which i got last year. Overwintered dormant in the pot.
2--My Cardinal Flower--which is still so very pretty
3--My Dr. Seuss Brugmansia---loving its new spot..
4--A pot of Zinnias (it was a HB I potted in a pot) end of my driveway.
5--This is my Neighbor's bed that i, pretty much, own...I plant in it and water it.

thanks, Gita. That is so generous of you!

Your new blooms are lovely. Lucky neighbor! :-)

RRR have a nice vacation!

Gita, is that the picotee u gave us seeds for?

Wind, Is that a gloriosa Lily? Lovely

Gita, just ran out and planted your seeds - thank you!! ^_^ glad u posted the pic

Holly, it's Oriental Lily, Lilium “black beauty”

Goldman's Italian American heirloom on the vine from NisiNJ
Krossa Regal hosta blooms

Thanks, Diana. We are really enjoying being together on vacation.

speedie- there are photo gremlins-- in my yard they always stick empty pots and bits of kitchen scraps, and loose tools in the background of every photo just as the shutter snaps!

Jen, cute' things with wings-'- I am stealing that phrase and might get to use it for a display theme for childrens books.

Glad to see a few blooms today after work:

(1) Was grateful to see a newly opened rose blossom, not yet attacked by the Japanese beetles. They are *so* fragrant.
(2) My angelonia and begonia have been hardy bloomers for me, all summer long
(3) My 'Strawberry Seduction' Achillea continues to open up and blossom!

That 'Strawberry Seduction' Achillea looks really good.

Thanks, Holly. I was so thrilled at the idea of a *red* Achillea--it's nice to see it finally blossoming.

pretty yarrow- I had Paprika years ago and it never looked that good, full, and compact.

Thanks, Sally!

And there is the Agastache Tutti Frutti right next to the yarrow, not flourishing as much--although I had thought their soil and water needs would be similar. But I was just reading about it, and it sounds as though the Agastache doesn't like *fertile* soil, whereas the yarrow simply has low water needs, which I guess is an important difference! E.g., one site said Agastache like gravel mulch. Maybe I'll try something grittier for it...
http://www.highcountrygardens.com/perennial-plants/agastache

I almost bought Tutti Frutti and then I read it is very short-lived -- that unless your conditions are perfect, you should treat it as an annual. But Allen Armitage raves about it.

I rave about it too (the Tutti Frutti that is).. for whatever reason, they seemed to really like my Big Front Bed. I've got about 42 metric butt-tons of compost in there, and have allowed my mulch to compost into the mix over the years too. Really great drainage and over 7 hours of intense mid-morning-to-sundown direct sun. The marshmallow fluff soil goes about a foot deep or so.

Speedie, it sounds like your Tutti Frutti is thriving in fertile soil!

Nothing new in my garden but I think we need some more blooms in this thread. :)

Here's the bouquet I made for myself this morning:

Very pretty, I have a nice vase of glads that Ric brought in from the garden yesterday.

Instead of close-ups--which focus on only one or two blooms,
I took a bunch of more distance shots--showing whole beds
around my house...
Hope it gives you a bit more of the "big picture"...taken yesterday.

1--Bed by my front door. To the left of my steps is my Camellia
2--the two Begonias in pots-which sit inside these two huge chunks of lava rock.
3--Dr. Seuss brug in first full bloom. It loves that WS bed.
4--East side of my house...I NEVER use the door on this side--
so it always has all kinds of plants around it.
5--A closer look of the bed behind the railing on this side.
.

More---

1--One of my 3 Acalyphas. This one is in my raised bed in the back yard.
2--The BIG pot (you have all seen this already) on the stump.
3--The lowest of the 3 W-Boxes on the iron porch on the east side.
Gotta trim off the Creeping jennies a bit....
4--The front, corner bed--with the tall, red Hibiscus,Rudbeckia & Carpet Rose
5--The A/C bed--because the AC sits at the far end--This is my
Hummingbird Bed in the making. Besides the cardinal flower, it now also
has one Bl. & B Salvia, two other blue Salvias, Cone Flowers, Tiger Lilies,
and, usually, Pentas and Heliatropes in the front.

Hope you enjoyed the 'tour"......Gita

Oh I think your Creeping Jennys are wonderful... Personally, I'd let 'em go!! < =D

Funny thing about those Agastaches, I never fed them. I think they ate stray neighborhood small pets.

Beautiful, Gita!

Speedie, I'll bet the stray animals wandered into the 12" marshmallow fluff and just went to heaven there--and then the Agastaches took advantage of the situation! ;-)

Lovely garden, Gita. Why is the Acalypha so green? Is it of a different variety than the ones that you gave me?

Sally--
The Acalypha leaves have so many different tones of color on them
Some are reader--some are darker, some have more green, etc.
It is possible that you got some of the darker ones. Also--the one in
my picture only gets morning sun until about 2PM. I think they get a lot
more intense in full sun. Karen has all hers in full sun all day.
I have mine in 3 places. None of the places get full sun all day.
In the GH--some had leaves that looked almost blackish maroon.

If you read sallyG's article on this plant just a couple days ago--
she posted a link to a Nursery--and you should look at that site
and see all the different varieties of Acalypha.
Some of them are totally dazzling----amazing!!!

Here are my other two. G.

I must say that the Acalypha sure are very pretty.
Here are a few from my garden today.
First two are of the Peanut Butter Tree, just smells heavenly and the butterflies love it. Then Lily Sorbonne, Bronze Fennel, Bazillion Plume Flower.

Holly, does the peanut butter tree actually smell like peanut butter?? mmyumm

The leaves do. If you rub them. The blooms have a more floral scent that waffs thru the yard.

ooohhh now I'm even more excited about the PB shrub. I didn't know it would be a butterfly fav. and that fragrant. Ours from the swap is growing real well. Thanks Chantell!! Holly, how old is your PB shrub? how long before your first blooms?

I got mine from Chantell and it bloomed the next year. Can't remember how many years ago that was 2 or 3 I think. I have a really nice size and nice shaped small tree now.

wow, that sounds way too cool. Now I want one! :-)

Me too!!!!

I believe have two stray suckers of it I can give you gals! Mine has just a few blooms this year.