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Above, Dahlia 'Catching Fire'
The garden is weary and battered by summer heat, as is the gardener. A few roses are blooming again--the chili thrips didn't get to them.
The ever-reliable 'Souvenir de la Malmaison':
A Manfreda flower, over six feet tall (2 M). In nature perhaps it must rise above tall grass to lure pollinators:
Four more 'Bright Star' Yucca stems. The heat is perhaps to their liking.
Aloe 'Cynthia Gitty' powers on, further ornamented by constant hummingbird fights over the nectar-filled flowers.
Recently planted but perfectly happy, Calylophus drumondii 'Southern Belle'. A true desert plant, unfazed by heat. A good small (12"-14") plant for hot, dry spots.
After taking the summer off to look dreadful, Austin rose 'The Endeavour' shows off again due to cooler nights. Relief for both of us!
Ditto for the Gazanias, which also took August off.
Rose 'Twilight Zone', a weakish cultivar, as purplish roses tend to be, can still surprise.
I moved this Salvia greggii hybrid because it got much too large in its former spot. Another excuse for hummingbird fights. I placed it in a spot where it is now also much too large for the space. Will a third move be the right one?
Gomphrena 'Fireworks' continues the show.
While the healthier of the two Lagerstroemia 'Dynamites' winds down, the other is now at full strength.
The garden is doing its best. The gardener needs to do the same. Happy Bloom Day!
I am happy to see that not all of your roses are devastated by the chilli thrips. Have you perceived any pattern to those that are damaged and those that are not?
ReplyDeleteNo, not seeing a pattern at all. :( They hit one of the Dahlias very badly; others are flawless. I am thinking about hitting just the new rose growth next year with Spinosad starting with the 2nd flush. I can spray after the bees go to bed.
DeleteI like Dahlia 'Catching Fire' almost as much as 'Cafe Au Lait'. All in all, your garden still looks terrific. I've never seen flowers on my own Yucca 'Bright Star'. They don't seem to have grown at all in the past year, although all 3 look healthy - who knows, maybe they'll leap and surprise me next year. We've been remarkably cool (almost cold!) the last few days but I doubt we've seen the last of summer.
ReplyDeleteMe too. 'Catching Fire' is extremely pretty.
DeleteI'm relishing the cool air. The overnight low last night was 59! Wheee!
You really don't want your 'Bright Star' to bloom. The symmetry is lost--the plant begins to branch.
Your garden is putting up quite a bloom show right now! Love, love, love the dahlia 'Catching Fire', what a beauty. I am so mad at myself that I messed up this year's trial to grow dahlias in my own garden. Oh well, but at least I get to enjoy yours.
ReplyDeleteIt is good to hear that 'Souvenir de la Malmaison' is reliable in your garden. I killed one and now I am growing on a new baby band. I hope that this one will survive and bloom as nicely for me than yours ;-)!
The variegated yuccca 'Bright Star' looks fabulous and the flower stem is the icing on the cake!
Thanks for sharing your September bloomers!
Warm regards,
Christina
Thank you Cristina. I have 2 SDLMs, one grafted, one own root. The grafted I have to say is much better.
DeleteYes I love that Dahlia. So happy with it. Next year do try a Dahlia!
I had the climbing SDLM planted in the very hot enclosed space currently used as the outdoor dining room now that it's become shadier. But when it was blast-furnace hot all summer everything died except for SDLM which thrived, loved that heat. What a surprise from such a delicate looking thing. Still smells like talcum powder a bit, does it? The Bright Stars are fabulous -- still as rare in gallons as unicorns!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's over 150 years old. A heck of a rose.
DeleteBright Star is sloooow. That's its problem--or rather our problem!
I giggled a bit when I read about your nomad Salvia, I have been trying to squeeze two of my salvias into containers and they are not happy bunnies – one is a Salvia greggi ‘Icing Sugar’. Looking at your photo it might be that mine is aspiring to become the size of yours, which could explain why it isn’t happy in the container! Might have to re-think that one….Loved the dahlia, I am not usually fond of cactus dahlias as they tend to die off underneath long before they have opened up properly (except for in the magazines where they look immaculate). Yours look very nice and healthy and I loved the colours! Have a good weekend!
ReplyDeleteThat Salvia was 4x4 (120 cm x 120 cm) in the first spot--it was mostly blocking the path which was okay for me but non-gardeners can't maneuver around plants. I thought moving it would set it back. Wrong!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, Helene!