Today I'm shareing photos from the gardens over the course of this past week...
Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm' rates very high on my favorites scale for August/September... not only is it attractive, it is dependable. No weeds can grow in a good solid clump of Goldsturm, it also performs beautifully in a vast array of circumstances. Among them are dry soil and shade. What else would make a show like this under the canopy of a very large Norway spruce or amongst the roots of a maturing magnolia... and I love the way it combines with the blues in my Montgomery spruces...
Next favorite for this time of the year is Verbena bonariensis. I planted small starts of these once... a great many years ago (as in 20 years or more). Yes, they self seed and it's never a problem... perhaps that's because our beds are mulched, but even if they were too plentiful, they are easily pulled. Native to Brazil and Argentina, these members of the vervain family are hardy in zone seven and warmer. I can easily imagine that it may well be a thug in areas of our country that best meet its requirements, but here in Wisconsin it stays put where in the general vicinity where originally planted and makes a wonderful 'see-through' plant at home from the front of the border to the back. Perhaps highest on the list is all the butterflies that it attracts as well as humming birds. Towards the end of the season we will get some mildew and we always pull the plants when they get to that point... this probably helps curb excessive seeding as well.
Another interesting bloom appearing in late August is Lycoris squamigera, a member of the Amaryllidaceae family. Known as Resurrection Lilies as well as Naked Ladies and a number of other monikers as well, this bulb produces foliage early in the spring and then dies back. In late August here, blooms spring from the ground within the course of a day and can be a bit of a shock to the uninformed. I recall having been married but a few weeks and discovering lilies in bloom next to my car which was parked on the lawn of the house we had recently rented... I was a bit confused at the time as well as very surprised by what turned out to be Surprise Lilies... another common name for the plants.
Dinner plate dahlias also have a place in my August/September gardens. I prefer to grow them in containers as I have less problems with insects and diseases...
I often speak of brugsmansias which provide a lot of summer through fall interest in our gardens, although they do require some extra work when it comes to wintering them over. Here are some updated photos from the last couple days... the smaller yellow 'Inca Sun' is in particularly good form right now. The larger 'Charles Grimaldi' yellow should have one more good showing during the autumn.
Perhaps the best performing of the phlox plants in the gardens is 'David'. He grows to six feet in certain areas of the gardens, and puts on quite a show. In other areas he is more reserved in height.
I am very pleased with what I call 'the cottage garden' this year. The only plants that aren't quite performing as well as I'd like are Verbena temari. The impatiens are a combo of varieties of the Accent series and Spellbounds. Here are a few photos of the area...
Of course August into September is a wonderful time for hydrangeas and I have many cultivars in bloom... I will share just a couple, 'Limelight' and 'The Swan', as they are putting on the best show just now...
Now for a bit of this and that about the gardens before I end with my "ode to my petunias"... yes I know... a lot of people don't care for petunias but in my opinion they can't be beat for masses of color... more on that in a bit.
The arbor has not been all that great this year... many of the perennials were not up to par and several of the clematis got wilt with the hot and humid season. I had decided to try ivy geraniums that were supposed to perform well here, Cascadias I believe, and the osteospermums have been mediocre so far as well despite this cultivar's claim to bloom well in the heat. The blooms have been plentiful but I've not found them to be as showy as I expected... I do anticipate that the ivy geraniums and osteospermums may do considerably better once the cooler fall weather arrives. In addition to these headaches, the sweet autumn clematis developed a Napoleonic complex and tried to take over the world, burying everything in sight.
This past weekend, with the help of our house guests, we dug out all the spuria irises along the arbor fence, moved a great many and also shared many. New Millenium delphiniums and Junior phlox which is quite new will become the predominate plants in this area next season. The sweet autumn will be either moved or destroyed, depending on whether I can find a spot for it. If nothing else, gardening is a renewal process on a regular basis. Following are a couple photos of the ivy geraniums which I hope will improve during September. You can see the osteopermums... 'Lemon Symphony' planted about the foot of the arbor and to the sides. Actually, the geraniums are improving already and this experiment may not end in a total loss...
Another plant that had great disdain for the weather this summer was the sweet alyssums. This did not surprise me at all, as it has been too hot for their liking every few years. Following is a photo from the rockery where I used them in conjunction with a few NG impatiens for some color once the predominate spring bloom was past. There are also a few nice 'Burgundy Lace' ferns and 'The Ghost' ferns that are developing nicely of late in this area.
I use a lot of impatiens each year, generally around 700 plants... here are a few garden spots that include them...
The zinnias are starting to look a bit worn with some foliage concerns and the occasional plant dying out...
I use Thunbergia alata as an annual vine throughout the gardens...
My favorite hosta for flowers (I dislike most)...
Well, that about does it for now... except for my petunia rant that is. I've grown many varieties of petunias for years and never have experienced any as beautiful as what I've grown this year. P. Allan Smith is right on the money when he brags up Proven Winners Supertunia Bubblegum Vista. All they need is lots of food and good moisture and they are absolutely amazing! I'll close with several photos from this week of them.
As I said earlier, I may be away for awhile with this shoulder surgery that will take place early tomorrow morning. I've really enjoyed posting this season and am anxious to get back at it as soon as possible. My best to all of you out there in blog land! Larry
Have I convinced anyone yet? These are great petunias!! Larry
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