GBBD: Summer's End

Summer is winding down, and I, for one, will be happy to have an end to the relentless heat of this past season.  The days are getting shorter, and on some days you can feel a crispness in the air, the first hints of autumn approaching.

While I will miss the explosion of color that was summer in my garden, there is still much to enjoy about the garden.  A few coneflowers still bloom here and there, but most are now dried seedheads, a tasty treat for all the goldfinches.

Blackberry lilies are no longer blooming, but their seedheads are every bit as delightful to look at.

Walking around the garden, one can see that not everything has finished blooming, however.  The 'Limelight' Hydrangea is in all its fall glory, reaching up to the rooftop once again, despite a pretty good pruning this spring.

I just love these big blooms!

Nearby, the Turtleheads are also blooming.

Also in the shade garden, the hardy begonia (name forgotten) is also blooming.  I bought this plant for its foliage and was so happy it survived the winter here, so the tiny blooms are a bonus surprise.

It pays to looks closely or you will miss some other surprises as well.  Apparently, this little gnome thought I needed some help weeding (and yes, I do).  I have no idea where this little rake came from--garden fairies, perhaps??

In the sidewalk garden, 'Senorita Rosalita' Cleome is flourishing.  I've planted this annual in pots the past two years, and it's never done well.  Obviously, it likes being planted in the ground much better--and all the rain this summer no doubt helped as well.

Lavender is beginning to bloom again.  This is the first year I've had success with lavender surviving the winter, and I hope it continues to do well.

In the Arbor Bed, the berries on the Beautyberry are beginning to turn.

Fall is the time for grasses to really shine, and 'Morning Light' Miscanthus is putting on quite a show.

Goldenrod is also popping up everywhere.  I usually pull most of it from the Arbor Bed, but I missed this one, and I think it complements the zinnias nicely.  More on those zinnias later...

In the little Butterfly Garden, the sneezeweed Helenium 'Autumnale' has been blooming

 for several weeks.

And, of course, the Obedient Plant is making its annual appearance.  A few asters are just beginning to bloom, and soon the butterfly garden will be full of asters and goldenrod as well.

So many of my container plantings are looking pretty sad these days.  Coleus and begonias are still looking great, but the petunias are pretty pathetic--time to hit the local nursery for some new cool-weather annuals.  However, there are other annuals planted in the garden that are doing very well, including one of my all-time favorites 'Victoria Blue' Salvia.

The Lantana are also doing well and finally spreading out.  The only problem this year is that they are often hidden by some taller volunteers, like the Rudbeckia Triloba.

A few Cosmos are also finally blooming, though not nearly as many as I had hoped.

A new annual I planted this year is finally blooming as well--Tithonia, or Mexican Sunflower.  I've admired these bright orange blooms on Jason's blog for several years, so I finally started some seeds this spring.  The only problem is that I didn't realize how tall they would get!  Next year I'll find a better spot for these 4-6' pollinator magnets.

Also in the Arbor Bed, Nicotania is still blooming here and there.  These are all volunteers--from seeds planted over five years ago!  I started to pull most of these out one day, until I noticed a hummingbird moth sipping nectar from them.  Of course, I didn't have my camera handy, but I was mesmerized by this creature and its long proboscis.  I haven't seen it in a couple of weeks, but I'm leaving the Nicotania for now, just in case it returns.

Of all the late annuals, though, the most colorful and most abundant in my garden are the zinnias. These old-fashioned favorites have to be one of the easiest annuals to grow.  I direct sowed seeds from Renee's Garden and Botanical Interests (though which ones are which, I don't remember),  and some of them have grown to 4 1/2 feet tall.  Though only pink ones are shown here, there are blooms in orange, reds, and purples as well.

When it comes to attracting butterflies, you can't beat zinnias.  And although they aren't particular, the pollinators do seem to love my 'Zowie Yellow Flame' zinnias in particular.

On a recent afternoon, the 'Zowie's' were covered with all kinds of butterflies.

The colors of the 'Zowie's' are almost a perfect match for Monarchs, 

but Swallowtails make a nice contrast, too.

It's a good thing I planted lots of these zinnias this year, enough for a crowd!

Thanks to Carol of May Dreams Gardens for hosting this monthly meeting of Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day and giving me the incentive to keep a monthly record of what is blooming in my garden.  

Hazy, Lazy Days of Summer: GBBD August

There is a reason they call these the dog days of summer. For the past month, we have been living under a "heat dome" with so much heat and humidity that even my dogs don't want to go outside during the heat of the day.  I'm a wimp when it comes to heat, too, so about the only gardening I've done lately is pick green beans in the early morning or just before dusk and drag around the hoses to keep everything watered. For at least the past two weeks we haven't had more than a drop of rain, so keeping everything alive under the blistering sun has been my main priority.

Until today, that is.  The rain started last night, and by early Monday evening we had received almost three inches of welcome rain. My thirsty garden is so happy!  The late-blooming hostas--Hosta plantaginea, I think--are soaking up every drop.

Some of the hostas in the shade garden are beginning to turn a bit brown around the edges, but for the most part, everything is still looking lush and green.

The wild colors of July have pretty much faded away, but there are a few new blooms here and there.  The new Ligularia 'Desdemona' is putting out quite a few blooms in its first year in my garden.  I really think I ought to add an 'Othello' to go with her, don't you?

The dark red coleuses I like to put in pots in front of the house are getting taller and taller.

The elephant ears in my new huge pot have done well, too, 

in spite of the lack of rain the last few weeks.

The surprise lilies or naked ladies, whatever term you prefer, are done now, but a week ago they were in all their glory.  I still see many blooming all around town.

Rudbeckia triloba, or Brown-eyed Susans, are adding some much needed color to the Lily bed.  Even though I thought I had dug most of them out this spring, a couple seedlings managed to hide from the spade.

The 'Vanilla Strawberry' Hydrangea has been loaded with blooms this year.  I only wish the pink petals would last a little longer: I took this picture a week ago, and now they're turning more vanilla-chocolate.

Although the daylilies have been finished for awhile except for a few re-bloomers, this late daylily just began to bloom.  'Autumn Minaret' is a tall lily, a good pairing with 'Challenger,' which is still blooming, too.

Finally, some of the seeds I direct sowed in late spring are finally starting to bloom.  'Knee High Sonata' Cosmos is just starting.  I've been disappointed, though, that I haven't seen a sign of the taller cosmos I planted.

Zinnias are also blooming in several places.  You can't go wrong with these old-fashioned favorites.

And speaking of zinnias, my very favorite 'Zowie Yellow Flame' has not disappointed me.  I had intended to get a better photo, but the rain kept me from going outside with my camera today.  But I'm sure you'll see more of these next month:)

Here's a better photo I took last week while watering at the Nursing Home Garden.  I've raved so much about these 'Zowie's' that I have convinced my cohorts who volunteer with me to plant them here as well.  They really are butterfly magnets!

Another photo from the Nursing Home garden could have been taken in my garden as well--the bumblebees love Russian Sage.

While I haven't been doing much work in my own garden, I have been enjoying watching the visitors the past few weeks.  This Tiger Swallowtail was a blur of fluttering wings as it enjoyed the verbena in a container.

And, of course, my usual visitors as I sit on the front porch.  I could watch them forever as they dance and dive through the air--occasionally buzzing my head as they zoom to the feeder.

We have had so many moths lately, especially at night, that they're rather annoying. 

 I thought this daytime visitor was rather pretty, however.

The coneflowers I've pictured for the last month or more are finally fading away.  Just as I was contemplating cutting back some of them the goldfinches arrived.

Needless to say, the coneflowers won't be cut down any time soon.

Tomorrow is the first day of school for most children in the area, the symbolic end of summer even though there is still a month or more of summer left.  Soon it will be time to start thinking about fall chores and ordering bulbs for the spring.  For now, though, I am enjoying the last blooms of summer.

Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day is hosted the 15th of every month by Carol of May Dreams Gardens.  Thanks, Carol!

Wildflower Wednesday on a Sunday

It's been a long time since I've participated in Wildflower Wednesday, almost a year in fact. But that doesn't mean I don't enjoy reading and learning about all the native plants that Gail and others post each month.  Actually, native plants and their importance to pollinators have been on my mind a lot this summer.  Last week I attended a workshop on "Pollinator Pockets," a program developed by our local Master Naturalists and Master Gardener programs to educate the community and encourage people to plant more pollinator-friendly plants.  It's a great program, and now I am officially trained as a Pollinator Pocket presenter, so I will share more about this program later--probably this winter, when I'm not knee-deep in weeding and dead-heading,

For today, though, let's look at a few of the natives blooming in my little butterfly garden, now officially designated as a "Pollinator Pocket."

For the last few weeks, the gray-headed coneflowers, also known simply as yellow coneflowers, have been commanding attention in the Butterfly Garden as they sway in the breeze above the shorter natives.  Although they are called coneflowers, they are not an Echinacea at all, but belong to another genus Ratibida pinnata.

The drooping florets are topped by a head that initially is green/gray, but gradually turns brown.  I've found no info to support my theory, but it appears that the head slowly turns brown from the bottom up, kind of like a reverse balding process.

Growing up to four feet tall, the gray-headed coneflower is a common sight in many prairie plantings and is especially attractive to many species of bees.  It's easy to grow, adapting to many soil and moisture conditions, and--so far--doesn't seem to be an aggressive spreader.

Another native blooming right now is Joe-Pye Weed,  Eutrochium spp.  Actually, I'm not sure what type of Joe-Pye weed this is; as I've mentioned before, mine looks quite different from most Joes I've seen in gardens.  The flowerheads are fluffier, the stems aren't purple, and well, frankly, it's not as pretty as other Joes.  I suspect it is a straight species of some type.  For a much more attractive plant, check out Gail's post featuring the Joe-Pye weed this WW.

Joe-Pye weeds are such bee magnets, they are a great addition to any pollinator garden.  But for gardeners who don't have room for these 5-7' tall beauties, 'Little Joe' is an excellent alternative, growing only to 3-4 feet tall.  Notice the much prettier flowerhead on my 'Little Joe' and the purple stems compared to the tall one previously.

Every spring I weed and thin out the thugs in this area and plant some new seedlings, but after that, it's pretty much on its own.  So you never know what might pop up during the season.  Smack dab in the middle of the garden right now is this Queen Anne's Lace, Daucus Carota.  Many people think of this plant as a weed, but I've always had a special fondness for it and am happy to see it make an appearance this year.  For the past couple of weeks the roadsides have been lined with Queen Anne's Lace and Chicory, one of my favorite wildflower combos that always brings a smile to my face.

Another plant that popped up rather out of place is this hollyhock.  Once I had many hollyhocks, descendants of plants from my grandmother and my husband's grandfather.  But in recent years they have fallen victim to rust, so when a new plant springs up--no matter how out of place it might be--I let it grow, hoping I'll eventually get a healthy crop of them once again.

One plant that has really grown taller this year is Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare.  This is one of those plants I purchased at a gardener's plant sale without knowing much about it.  It's actually not a native, having been introduced from Europe many years ago, and can be invasive in some places.  But it does provide nectar and pollen for small bees, flies, and wasps, and I think the button-like flowerheads are kind of cool.  We'll see if it gets too aggressive in my garden--it will have to duke it out with the asters and goldenrod first.  Sticking up in the forefront of the photo are the seedheads of blackberry lilies, whose blooms faded before I ever got a chance to photograph them.

Peeking out behind the Tansy is the Butterfly Weed, Asclepias Tuberosa.  While I have trouble getting other milkweeds to grow here for some reason, Butterfly Weed has done well, though it takes time to get established.

There are other plants blooming as well right now in the Butterfly Garden including a few coneflowers and Black-eyed Susans hiding out at the back.

Not so shy, though, are the Brown-eyed Susans, Rudbeckia triloba, blooming along one edge of this flower bed.  This plant is not for the faint of heart or one with limited garden space.  The first year it mysteriously appeared here I had one plant, the next year two or three, and this year--well, let's just say, I did a lot of digging and sending perfectly robust plants to the compost pile.

Still, these cheery blooms put on such a display late summer through fall that I just don't have the heart to eradicate them completely--as if I could:)

Native plants aren't the only choice if you are planting a pollinator-friendly garden.  Volunteer dill in the vegetable garden has been a tasty treat for some very hungry caterpillars.

You know I couldn't write a post in July without just one more coneflower:)  If I had to choose one summer-blooming plant that attracted a host of pollinators, it would have to be purple coneflowers.  Butterflies and various bees including this very large bumble bee have been enjoying these flowers since they first began to bloom in late June.

Wildflower Wednesday is held the fourth Wednesday of every month, and anyone is welcome to join in.  Thanks to Gail for always being a great hostess and welcoming even those of us who are late to the party.