Sparse Flower Power

The garden always looks less flowerful in September and this year the bloom display is perhaps sparser than usual as I just haven't been able to invest the time and energy my garden needs to stay on pace.  It didn't help that, after cooler than usual summer temperatures at the start of the season, it got much hotter during the past month.

However, my garden did provide a few surprises recently.

This Hippeastrum appeared out of the blue from one of the bulbs I'd planted in my back garden 2-3 years ago with the intention of allowing it to naturalize.  The bulbs don't seem to flower on any set schedule.  This one may be 'Luna' but I'm no longer certain.

I deadheaded all my Agapanthus more than a month ago, assuming they were done for the season.  These stragglers appeared out of nowhere.  The dark blue one was added to my collection a few years ago and has bloomed slightly later than those that came with the garden but even its flowers were unexpected.

I sowed sunflower seeds in June and only half expected to see any results.  I only got a few seedlings but this Helianthus 'Astra Rose' really pleased me.

I never know if or when this Leucophyllum laevagatum will bloom but it seems to respond to summer storms.  We seldom have those but I guess the remnants of Hurricane Marie are responsible for this appearance.

This noID Caladium obviously isn't a flower but it's pretty enough to warrant a shout out

Not to be outdone, the real stars of the garden this month were these:

A few of the dahlias were disappointing and several seemed to have already bloomed out but this group is still producing flowers.
Top row: Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings' and D. 'Enchantress'
Middle row: D. 'Labyrinth', D. 'Karma Caroline', and D. 'Omega'
Bottom row: D. Mystery Day', D. Snowball', and D. 'Table Dancer'

The zinnias also got a late start this year and most have appeared only in small numbers at any one time.  Clockwise from the upper left, those currently flowering include: Zinnia 'Benary's Giant Salmon Rose', Z. 'Oklahoma White', Z. 'Benary's Giant Purple', and Z. 'Benary's Giant Wine'.

The most prolific and dependable of my daylilies, Hemerocallis 'Spanish Harlem', is midway through its second bloom cycle for the year

I don't have many roses but 6 Rosa 'Pink Meidiland' shrubs came with the garden and continue to flower at the front of the house

And then there are the usual old dependables, which serve as the backbones of my garden.

Abelia grandiflora 'Kaleidoscope' and A. g. 'Radiance'

The everblooming Grevillea 'Superb'

Lantana camara 'Irene' and noID yellow variety

Not flowers but rather colorful leaf bracts imitating flowers, these are Leucadendron 'Devil's Blush' and L. 'Summer Red'

I'll wrap up my late summer overview with a handful of honorable mentions tucked into a collage.

Clockwise from the upper left are: Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses', a noID Coleus, Daucus carota 'Dara', Rudbeckia 'Juliana', and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

 

With the arrival of cooler temperatures this week, I'm hopeful that we're on the bridge heading into the fall season.  My garden needs work and I need take stock of what should be yanked, what should be pruned back, and then compile a list of the prospects for replacements.  What about you?  Are you getting ready for the fall season yet?

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

The stars of my August garden

I had to work harder this month to identify flowers worth crowing about in my garden.  August is generally tough to get excited about as it's commonly among the hottest and driest months for us, if not at the top of that list.  Our lead into summer started out on the cooler end of the spectrum but late July and August seem to be making up for that slow start by delivering soaring temperatures combined with heightened humidity.  But all was not lost as I did find some beauties worth taking about.

At the top of the list are a few surprises.

Protea 'Claire' unexpectedly produced 3 new flowers long after its earlier flush was gone

Metrosideros collina 'Springfire' is also suddenly flowering again

I'd thought that the Agapanthus were all done for the year when these 2 flowered out of the blue (pun intended)

Other standouts were less surprising but nonetheless appreciated.

The Amaryllis belladonna normally bloom around this time of year but somehow always manage to surprise me

Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses' continues to impress me.  The hotter it gets, the more vigorously it flowers. 

Daucus carota 'Dara' (aka wild carrot) seems to have no intention of dying back

Grevillea 'Superb' literally NEVER stops blooming in any season.  It's the best shrub I've ever grown.

Hesperaloe parviflora 'Coral Glow' looked like a goner earlier this year but came back after what had appeared to be predation by hungry gophers

The dahlias have slowed down a bit over the past week but I can't say they've thrown in the towel yet.  Although many are battling mildew because I failed to spray for that earlier, I think I can expect another flush of blooms from at least some.

Dahlia 'Admiral Rawlings' is narrow but very, very tall by comparison to all my other dahlias - and unfortunately prone to falling over even with supports

Sold to me as tubers of 'Belle of Barmera', the 2 I received proved to be 'Break Out'.  It was very prolific at the start of the season but it may be close to finishing up now.  It's also lost the pink tinge to its petals over time.

'Enchantress' has always been one of my favorites but the tuber I planted this year been slow to flower this year

'Good Day' is a winner!

Although demure in size, 'Karma Caroline' is elegant in form and color.  It also seems to hold up better than many of the large "dinner plate" varieties.

'Labyrinth' remains another of my favorites.  As the weather has gotten hotter, I've noted that its petals became somewhat smaller but also more buttery in color. 

I still haven't warmed to 'Mystery Day'.  I find myself comparing to 'Catching Fire', which I grew in previous years, and feel it lacking.  The latter was clear red and white in color as opposed to the muddy purple of 'Mystery Day'.

'Omega' is another dinner plate variety, and new to me this year

'Snowball' is pure white and very pretty but also a relatively slow at getting its blooms on

I've had mixed feelings about ''Table Dancer'.  It was slow to bloom but, since it got going, it's been prolific; however, it usually starts out with dingy white petals.  They later take in a lavender hue but seem to dry out and develop brownish petals all too quickly.

I picked up 'XXL Veracruz' on the fly at my local garden center rather than growing it from a tuber as I did with the rest.  Its flowers are smaller than most I've grown this year but it's a nice addition to my collection.

My zinnia seeds were sown even later than my dahlia tubers were planted so I probably shouldn't be surprised that they've been even later than the dahlias to make an appearance but I've been even more disappointed by the relatively small number that germinated.  Still, I'm pleased that I've begun to see a few here and there at last this month.

These are probably 'Illumination', Oklahoma White', and Salmon Rose' but I can't be sure any more.  Only a tiny fraction of the seeds I sowed have bloomed.

I'll close as I usually do with several plants worthy of honorable mentions.

These are Polygala myrtifolia (aka sweet pea bush, left) and Vitex trifolia 'Purpurea' (right)

Clockwise from the upper left are: Crassula pubescens, Lantana camara 'Irene', Leucadedron 'Safari Sunset', Rudbeckia 'Juliana', Salvia canariensis, and Tanacetum parthenium 'Aureum'

That's it for the floral contingent worth sharing this August!

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party

When the heat is on, the dahlias step up

I wasn't sure the dahlias would come through for me this year.  For one thing, they got a late start because I was held up by medical issues during the period I'm usually getting the tubers started.  In addition, all my dahlia plants had succumbed to a vicious virus last year and it wasn't guaranteed that the soil in my cutting garden wouldn't prompt a repeat performance despite my efforts to clean the slate before planting the area again.

Although not all the new plants that made it through round one have flowered yet, fourteen have.  Four of these are duplicates but I thought I'd show off the ten varieties currently in bloom, starting with my favorites so far.

This is 'Good Morning', apparently named after a long-running television show

This is 'Labyrinth', which I've grown in prior years

'Omega' is new to me

'Karma Caroline' is small in size but floriferous and very pretty with a waterlily-like form

This tuber was sold to me as 'Belle of Barmera', which it certainly is not.  My best guess is that it's 'Break Out', which I've previously grown, although I don't remember it getting quite this big!

This is another one that's new to me.  It's called 'Snowbound'.

This one, called 'Admiral Rawlings', is just getting started.  It's taller and narrower in size that the other dahlias in this year's collection.  The flowers are the deepest purple I think I've ever seen, although that color isn't well represented in this photo.

This is the first bloom produced by 'Enchantress', another of my favorites.  Unfortunately, it'd already faded by the time I got around to photographing it.

This is the only "collarette" dahlia I have this year.  It's called 'Hartennas'.  The bees love it.

I haven't made up my mind about this one.  It's called 'Mystery Day'.

The duplicates currently blooming include:  'Labyrinth', ' Break Out', 'Admiral Rawlings', and 'Mystery Day'.  The dahlias that haven't flowered yet include: 'Creme de Cognac', Honeymoon', 'Nicholas', and 'Table Dancer'.  'Creme de Cognac' was eaten to the ground early on and I'm not convinced it's going to recover but I have relative confidence in the rest so far.

Dahlias aren't the only plants that warrant a bit of attention this July, however.  Here are a few others worth mentioning:

Catharanthus 'Blueberry Kisses', a variety of vinca, produces pretty, if relatively small flowers.  What impresses me most is that I planted these last fall if I recall correctly and they've survived despite being ignored.

The Cistus have produced another flush of flowers.  The species on the left is Cistus x skanbergii.  I've no ID for the one on the right, which I can't even remember planting years ago.

These are just a handful of the Daucus carota 'Dara' that self-seeded freely in my garden this year.  The bulk of them are cleverly hiding out in the shrubbery to ensure their survival into next year and beyond.

The Eustoma grandiflorum (aka Lisianthus) have put on a patchy show this year and I expect that the intenser heat we're now getting will take out those that remain very soon.  However, I did get some blooms in apricot and pale green a this year.  No blues whatsoever, though!

Monarda 'Peter's Purple' has come back in very small numbers this year, which is rather disappointing

In contrast, Rudbeckia 'Juliana', planted in this barrel last summer, is putting on a very good show.  I need more Rudbeckia!

Salvia canariensis var candidissima rebounded this month after being cut back bard last month

That's it for the July floral parade in my garden.  I've got some sunflower and zinnia seedlings still in the development stage but, as both got an even later start than the dahlias this year, I'm surprised I've any.  My fingers are crossed that I may at least get some flowers of each in August.

I hope you've got some flowers to brighten your summer garden too!

All material © 2012-2026 by Kris Peterson for Late to the Garden Party