I just realized we're halfway through August with no bloom thread. My garden always suffers in August and I have long notee in my journal to just deadhead, set out soaker hoses, and go on vacation... But, wait! Here is phlox, echinachea, rudbeckia, and asters amongst my rubble. Show us what you have in this hot dry month.

So much color in my yard. But also so many weeds. I'm a January-June gardener, and then the yard tends to suffer. (or I prefer to think it takes on a much more wild cottage style).

Here are a couple from this morning. I should take more. So many annuals looking awesome.

Agastache 'Ava'. I have probs with some of my agastache not returning every year (I've read they don't like all the rain in the NW), but this one came back. It's only one plant. HUGE. And half of it was even broken off when my dog ran over it and damaged it.


My favorite planters that I designed this year. Pics from the front and the back. Included are thunbergia (black eyed susan vine), hyacinth bean, ivy geranium, salpiglossis, amaranth 'hopi red dye', purple potato vine. All started from seed by me in the greenhouse except the ivy geranium and potato vine. I should do this as an image set actually.

Stephanie, I have that same problem with agastache so I kind of stopped plating these. Yours is beautiful. Wow fantastic pots. How's the shed project going?
BH, Love the flowers. The white phlox is gorgeous.

I'll have to go look around a bit. Still pulling huge weeds here. Things just got away from me this spring.

Funny about the huge weeds. My husband (usually rather disinterested in the gardens) noticed a large burdock growing in one of the beds by the barn, and asked if that burr-bush (his phrase) was supposed to be there. I replied that it was indeed a weed, and he then asked why it was there. At a loss for words, I simply gave him permission to pull it, and he immediately dug it right out getting most of the tap root. Hmmm. Perhaps he is showing an interest after all...

Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue' Wow the hummingbirds love this. One plant. huge. One of my favorites as are all salvias.

That is a monster and just gorgeous.
Here's what's happening here in my yard.
a pink rose of Sharon Rain has made it too heavy.
Hydrangea 'Little lime' NOID daylily
White rose of Sharon and a NOID clem.
The name of this escapes me at the moment.
2nd year echies. I hope they explode to huge plants next year.
containers at the front door
containers back by the greenhouse. Both sides.
over grown shade garden!
'Lime zinger' sedum and 'Kent beauty' oregano.

Things are quickly changing in the garden. Especially with the damp weather of this last week. Here are a few August photos.
phlox, mallow, calendula





fall anemone


sunset runner beans. Pretty and tasty


strawberries and Shasta's


echinachia, calendula, poppy


violets and primrose


noid wild sunflower laying down from the mists


beebalm, scarlet and painted lady runner beans


honeysuckle, pot of autumn joy with impatients



first time my variegated hydrengea has had any flowers. Freezes have killed it to the ground until last winter.

I love the warm misty days, but am saddened by the shortness of the days. We have certainly had an interesting spring and summer.

Here's a few pics-

rudbeckia henry eilers--


Miscanthus sinensis ' Adagio'---


Lobelia cardinalis---


agastache heather queen-


Yvonne's salvia----


calamagrostis x acutiflora 'avalanche'&dahlia gonzo grape--



Asclepias tuberosa----

Wow!! amazing photos!!

Ligularia.......................................................... Hollyhock
I really like these more for the
foliage and the flowers are a bit of an
afterthought.


Castor Bean................................................ I call this Yella Gorilla - It's really tall. Some kind of helianthus?


Hardy Hibiscus ............................................Joe Pye



Zebra Grass - Ok no color, but great .........Caladiums - No bloom, but what color!
stripes


You gotta love how much color you can.........Hydrangea
get from a packet of Coleus seeds

Amazing how much color is still outside.

kosk0025 said:Salvia guarantica 'Black and Blue' Wow the hummingbirds love this. One plant. huge. One of my favorites as are all salvias.

• Anise-Scented Sage (Salvia coerulea 'Black and Blue')
• Uploaded by kosk0025

Love the blue, will have to look for that one.

So many plants I don't have that are doing well in late summer. I will refer back to this thread next spring when planning to fill holes in my beds and keep some of these in mind. It's just so easy to grab the instant gratification plants that are either in bloom or budding out. Thanks for the ideas.