Even though I've been doing much more watering than usual, I'm surprised at just how much I have blooming in mid-summer. Thus far, my summer water usage has been hovering just below 60% of the level budgeted by our water service provider so I'm not feeling too guilty yet - we'll have to see if the August billing changes things. Meanwhile, deep-watering selected areas of the garden once a week has made a difference.
Like August last year, my Bloom Day stars are the dahlias, lisianthus (
Eustoma grandiflorum), and zinnias. The dahlias and zinnias are less profuse than mid-month last year but I think that's largely attributable to the fact that I planted both my tubers and seeds late this year.
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| Clockwise from the upper left, the dahlias that have made appearances thus far this season are: 'Loverboy', 'Otto's Thrill', 'Punkin Spice', and 'Terracotta' |
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| I've got many more varieties of Eustoma grandiflorum this year. Some of those I planted last year returned for a second year of bloom and I added a couple of new varieties. I don't have cultivar names for all of them but the one on the upper left is 'Balboa Blue Rim'; the one in the lower right corner is 'Mint Cocoa'; and the one in the lower left corner is 'Black Pearl'. The unnamed green variety in the middle is my current favorite. |
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| I supplemented the Zinnia elegans seeds I planted with plugs and I can no longer account for which is which. My best guess is the the variety on the upper right is 'Queen Red Lime'; the one on the lower right is part of a 'State Fair' mix; and the one on the lower left is 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose'. I've no idea where the cream-colored flower on the upper left came from. |
A few other plants are making their seasonal splash as well.
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| My mimosa tree (Albizia julibrissin) continues to struggle. It was almost 3 months late in leafing out and I didn't expect it to bloom at all but it has. While the back half of the multi-trunked tree looks fairly good, several large branches in the front are naked of both leaves and flowers. I'm planning to consult an arborist in September about the prospect of pruning out the bare limbs. |
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| Callistemon 'Cane's Hybrid' is covered with blooms and bees this month |
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| Magnolia grandiflora makes up for its summer litter habit with lots of beautiful blooms |
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| Pennisetum advena 'Rubrum's' summer-to-fall bloom cycle is off to a good start |
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| I planted 2 California asters (Symphyotrichum chilense 'Purple Haze') in September 2016. I don't remember much in the way of flowers in 2016 or 2017 but the plants have spread dramatically throughout a large area this year producing a mass of airy blooms. Its spread is a little frightening, though. |
The bed I featured last month is still the most colorful space in my garden.
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| A photo of the bed is shown in the center of this collage. Clockwise from the upper left, the elements in bloom include: Ageratum houstonium 'Blue Horizon', noID Anigozanthos, blue Eustoma grandiflorum, Gaillardia 'Mesa Peach', Gaillardia 'Fanfare Citronella, Lantana 'Samantha', and Nierembergia 'Purple Robe' |
There were a few surprises as well.
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| Amaryllis belladonna (aka the naked lady lily) produced a single bloom stalk. This and 23 other bulbs were sent to me by Tammy of Casa Mariposa in March 2015. I got a few blooms last year but this is the first one thus far this year. I'm hoping it's the start of a stampede, despite our very poor winter rain.. |
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| Two of my begonias recovered sufficiently from the nuclear heatwave in early July to produce new blooms. The one on the left is 'Fragrant Falls Peach'. I've lost the name of the one on the right. |
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| My fuchsias in the lath (shade) house also recovered from the heat blast. On the left is Fuchsia 'Galfrey Lye'. 'Mendonoma Belle' is on the upper right and 'Old Berkeley' is on the lower right. |
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| A light scattering of rain lilies (Zephyranthes candida) appeared in response to the extra water they received |
As has become my habit, I'll close with collages covering the best of the rest.
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Top row: one of the last Agapanthus, Catananche caerulea, and Melaleuca thymifolia
Middle row: Osteospermum '4D Silver', Plumbago auriculata 'Imperial Blue', and Scabiosa 'Fama Blue'
Bottom row: Tibouchina urvilleana, weed-like Tradescantia, and Wahlenbergia 'Blue Cloud' |
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Top row: Abelia grandiflora 'Edward Goucher', Agastache 'Ava' (backed by Cuphea 'Starfire Pink'), and Cistanthe grandiflora
Middle row: Pseuderanthemum 'Texas Tri-star', Rose 'Pink Meidiland', and Crassula falcata
Bottom row: flower-like Leucadendrons 'Safari Sunset' and 'Blush', and Gomphrena decumbens 'Itsy Bitsy'
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Top row: Coreopsis 'Redshift', Cotyledon orbiculata, and Echeveria 'Afterglow'
Middle row: Euryops chrysanthemoides 'Sonnenschien', Grevillea 'Superb', and Hesperaloe parviflora
Bottom row: Russelia equisetiformis 'Flamingo Park' and Leonotis leonurus |
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Top row: Asclepias physocarpa, Asparagus densiflorus, and Gazania 'White Flame'
Middle row: Tanacetum parthenium, Scaevola 'Surdiva White', and Helianthus 'Sun-fill Green'
Bottom row: Pandorea jasminoides, Phylica pubescens, and Lantana 'Lucky White' |
My biggest disappointments this August are my sunflowers. I planted seeds late; germination was low; and repeated heatwaves sapped the strength of the few seedlings that sprouted. The plants I got had spindly stems easily broken by strong winds. Lesson learned! Next year I'll start my sunflowers much earlier, in pots if space in the cutting garden is temporarily limited as was the case this year.
For more Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day posts,
visit our esteemed host, Carol at May Dreams Gardens.
All material © 2012-2018 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party
So glad that at least part of your Mimosa has made a slow recovery and I hope the tree can be saved. What would summer be without having to pick those sticky spent blooms off of everything in the garden? Your blooms are all fabulous. I noticed that Loverboy and Lisianthus are getting closer together in this post. Hmmm... Crassula falcata in bloom - amazing. Mine just sit around and grow leaves.
ReplyDeleteI think portions of the mimosa has been infected by the shot hole borer and I'm not sure pruning out the major limbs most obviously affected will reverse the problem but at least it might make the tree look better for awhile. Good rain this coming winter would probably also give it a boost.
DeleteBeautiful! Too many to choose from. Most likely unrelated, but dahlias we have had for over 25 years were super late in blooming. Always have been so reliable.
ReplyDeleteOn a visit to my local botanic garden today, I noted that their dahlias are also woefully behind schedule this year. Perhaps my delay in planting my tubers isn't wholly responsible.
DeleteFabulous, as always. Especially wonderful array of Lisianthus.
ReplyDelete"Nuclear heatwave", good name for bad event.
I stole the term "nuclear heatwave" from LA Times columnist Steve Lopez, HB. It struck me as on point.
DeleteYour garden is delightfully floriferous! <3
ReplyDeleteI'm still a flower floozy at heart, Eliza!
DeleteYour garden looks fabulous! I love how you make up all of the flower collages. Sorry about the mimossa tree. It's always a little sad when a tree shows decline. Hope after a little pruning it perks back up. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI think 3 large branches of the mimosa need to come out, as well as some smaller twiggy branches. Hopefully, that won't stress the tree further or make it look even more lopsided than it already does. The expect the arborist can help me with both questions.
DeleteA wonderful collection of blooms, Kris, as ever. I see you have Gaillardia ‘Fanfare’ which I love the look of and saw online after I bought my first Gaillardia last autumn. As always I’m inspired by your Lisianthus and I’ll be planting my little packet of seeds soon and hoping I can raise some.
ReplyDeleteI hope you can get some answers with the albizia, as it would be such a shame to lose it.
I've heard that starting Lisianthus from seed can be challenging, Jane. I failed the one time I tried but then my luck with seeds is hit and miss to begin with. I hope we'll be able to celebrate your success!
DeleteYour gorgeous array of flowers would make anyone think you were faking the news about your drought conditions. You have to be working hard to keep your garden looking so good and producing so much, given your weather problems. The first Dahlia blooms took my breath away!
ReplyDeleteOur August water bill may be a kick in the pants, Linda, but I've been surprised that I've kept my usage relatively low the past few months. Taking out all our grass, collecting rainwater (not that there was much of that this year), and mulching have all helped reduce our water consumption, although frankly whether our water budget should be where it is in the first place is a question - we were kept on a much shorter leash in 2015 and 2016. And of course, I don't show much of the ugly bits on the garden - I'm essentially ignoring the back slope, for example.
DeleteSo many blooms! I love your dahlias. Mine all died over the winter except for the few I dug and stored in the basement. Never again will take a chance and leave them in the ground.
ReplyDeleteJeannie@GetMeToTheCountry
Technically, we can leave dahlias in the ground year-round here, Jeannie, but those I planted out in my larger garden never thrived because they didn't get enough water during the summer months when they need it to flower and, if I left them in my raised planters all year, I'm afraid the tubers would rot. So I lift and store mine too!
DeleteSo many gorgeous blooms. I love the pennistum. It isn't hardy here but every few summers I have to purchase it and plant it up in a pot to be admired. Dahlias always say late summer/fall to me. I have never seen one I didn't like. Happy GBBD.
ReplyDeleteLuckily, Pennisetum is truly an easy plant here, Lisa. All it wants is to be hacked back hard in winter.
DeleteLove your Dahlias, Lisianthus and Zinnias. I'm still so bummed that I neglected to sow Zinnias. Maybe if I keep kicking myself I'll remember to sow them next year.
ReplyDeleteI sowed my Zinnia seeds late, Alison, so I cheated and added some plugs. I didn't want to disappoint the butterflies!
DeleteKris, the dahlias are gorgeous! I planted two tubers last months, a purple variety. I never planted Dahlias before, my grandfather had hundred of them when my garden was his garden, they grow well here. The Amarylis Belladonna is a mysterious plant, I have lots of them but some years they bloom profusely but other years they don't bloom at all. Have a great weekend!
ReplyDeleteDahlias are flashy flowers, MDN. They are well worth growing in a climate like yours! I have not figured out what the Amaryllis balladonna want either.
DeleteI love the Eustoma 'Mint Cocoa' and of course the green one. Your technique of photographing the panting bed and then surrounding that photo with close-ups of the flowers is inspiring AND shows just how florific parts of your garden are. I could never pull that one off here in my garden.
ReplyDeleteWell, that was probably the only bed that deserved such attention, Loree. Except in my cutting garden, the flowers are spread far and wide.
DeleteThis is a beautiful post with all the collages. The California Asters and the Magnolia are especially lovely. Happy belated bloom day!
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth! I like the airy quality of the California asters but their spread is just a little scary. I put in 2 plants and now they're popping up all over.
DeleteI envy with the beautiful dahlias you can grow there right now, here they only bloom in the spring for a very short period ,your collection of lisianthus and zinnia is amazing ,lisianthus are brought as an annuals for the spring .
ReplyDeleteLisianthus are sold as annuals here too, Arun, but I've discovered that it will survive to bloom and second (and sometimes a third) year here.
DeleteLovely photos. Love your mimosa tree. We had one when I lived in Maryland, butthe winters are too cold for them here in Ohio. I miss their sweet delicate flowers.
ReplyDeleteThe mimosa tree is struggling and I'm not sure how much longer we'll have it. The litter is drops is a hassle but I will miss it if we lose it.
DeleteSo much work, Kris, both in your garden and your blog with all the photos, wonderful collages and plant names. I commend you!
ReplyDeleteThanks! The collages are usually less work that sorting through a lot of photos to choose what "deserves" attention.
Delete