Bloom Day: A "Toast" To August

As always, a big thank-you to MayDreamsGardens  for hosting this delightful meme.  
A "toast" to August, because August has turned toasty the past week.  
The not-so-great Phormium flowers have toasted.
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And the Dahlias I forgot to water.
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I think they'll be fine next year...they did quite a bit of growing this year, enough to store carbs for next.  
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This one was so beautiful a few days ago, with dew gleaming.
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Then...
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I used to deadhead Gaillardia, but since I saw finches eating the seeds, I leave the fuzzy remains of the flowers. 
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Toasted, they have beauty, too.
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The blueberries I missed picking are dried up.
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Not all is a ruin.  The Dahlias I did not forget to water are dandy.
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'English Garden' has produced its solitary August flower, right on schedule.  I look forward to September's--there might even be two flowers for September:
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'Belinda's Dream' of course is unfazed by August heat.  The August flush, just beginning, is one of the best of the year:
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Now that the new UV unit is installed, the pond water is as clear as glass.
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So not everything is toasty.  Some of the flowers, a few plants, and--me.  Thank you for stopping by my garden, and Happy Bloom Day! 
 
 

Comments

  1. 'English Garden' is just lovely; it is a shame she is so sparing with her blooms. I also must admit to a degree of koi envy. I saw some lovely ones today (and took some very ordinary photos) and here you are flaunting yours and great photos too. I may have to reconsider returning to my original garden plan, which included a pond. Three goldfish in a water feature are just not enough!

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    1. Koi are a whole other thing--they need extremely good filtration--plan carefully! 'English Garden'--very few flowers, but each one is perfect. There's something good about that. The Jane Austen of roses? The little bit of ivory, worked so perfectly?

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  2. Such beauty in those pictures of your 'toasty' blooms. Belinda's Dream - and the entire area around her - is just beautiful. It doesn't look very toasty from here! Great fish shots, too.

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  3. A very honest and interesting post! I should look into the UV... I feel like I'm running a string algae factory! Larry

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    1. Oh dear, don't get me started on string algae!

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  4. Great photos! Love that you leave the seed heads for the finches... And my goodness your pond is fabulously clear. The roses are looking wonderful and especially love that 'English Garden' what a beauty

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    1. Thank you Deanne, I am so rewarded seeing the finches eating happily and peacefully. It's a beautiful thing.

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  5. Alright, you win major points and up your street cred for showing the bad and ugly along with the good.

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  6. Your dahlias look fab. My dahlias always seem to stop blooming in August, watered or unwatered. I'm hoping to see more blooms in Sept. I pulled out two dahlias in the ground and am just keeping the dark one. The koi must feel like I do when I find my missing reading glasses ;)

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  7. Ouch...poor crispy flowers! Then again, looks like you still have some going strong!

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