Skip to main content
A 'Bride of Frankenstein' moment for Dahlia 'Catching Fire'
There is never a doubt about August favorites: they are the ones that can withstand August heat. Lagerstroemia 'Dynamite' has been an August favorite for years.
Planted when they were waist high in 2012, they are now about 12' tall.
Last summer the smaller of the two appeared extremely drought stressed. I gave it about half of the rain water collected over the winter--hundreds of gallons--and it looks much stronger this year.
The two young Lagerstroema 'Ebony Embers' (aka 'Black Diamond Red Hot') are both producing a few flowers. The one planted in 2015 is over 6' tall now while the one planted in 2016 is almost 5'.
I could not resist adding one more Lagerstroemia. New this year is blush pink flowered 'Ebony Glow' (aka 'Black Diamond Blush').
Another favorite is not a plant. It's an insecticide: Spinosad, which enabled me to have beautiful roses this summer. Last summer the flowers were devastated by Chili Thrips. I carefully spray just the emerging new growth tips after the pollinators are gone for the night, and only the unopened flower buds.
'Beloved'
'Tamora'
'The Endeavour'
I moved 'Matilda' to a new location this past winter. She's happy in her new location.
The Dahlia flowers also get Chili Thrips damage, though not as badly as the roses. The Dahlias are having a good August, too.
'Holland Festival'
'Arabian Nights'
Danger Garden hosts Monthly Favorites; click on for more. August is nearly complete. Autumn, the beginning of our gardening season, is almost here!
'Cafe au Lait'
That perch .... the orange chair ... the pillars .... the crape myrtles ... what a fabulous place!
ReplyDeleteNot a bad bird watching spot, either.
DeleteYour roses look splendid in summer, I wish mine looked so great in the hottest months. That Lagerstroemia 'Dynamite' is stunning, a real wonder! I've never seen one so red, I love it! Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteRed flowers can be dreary on a cloudy day, but we don't get all that many cloudy days. 'Dynamite' is dynamite! Have a beautiful weekend , too.
DeleteVery good photos :)
ReplyDeleteThank you! And thanks for visiting my blog.
DeleteAh, you show the dahlia's back side - I've been tempted to do the same as they look so different sometimes. I love your "Bride" - is she becoming her mother as she ages? Your roses are a wonder to behold and I'm glad you've discovered an effective treatment for the thrips. Some of my dahlias are showing signs of what I assumed was leaf miner but maybe I need to take a closer look. The crape myrtles are splendid and a reminder that I need to find a spot for one of those dark-foliaged varieties. Do you grow any of yours as shrubs rather than trees?
ReplyDeleteThe dark-foliaged varieties are slow growing compared to the green leafed types. I see no problem keeping 'Ebony Embers' as a 8-10' shrub; I think 'Ebony Glow' is a larger grower and will be more of a tree (15-20'). These are not big trees even as trees. See
Deletehttp://www.actahort.org/books/1055/1055_46.htm
for a description of the size and growth habit of these dark-leafed cultivars.
So exciting to find a pushback against the chili thrips -- makes all the difference in your summer, doesn't it? I like how you've analyzed the robust advantages of the dark-leaved crepe myrtles vs. 'Ebony' leucadendron, and they look great with the orange aloe blooms. I think the winner in the dark-leaved contest is clear...
ReplyDeleteI do love my roses! One of my 'Ebony' Leucs died, the other looks pretty good. Slow and small though.
DeleteBeautiful garden in August! Very impressive in this heat. One question: Where do you get your dahlias, especially 'Arabian Nights,' which made my jaw drop? Thanks in advance. Stay cool the next few days.
ReplyDeleteUmm, don't tell anyone, okay, but almost all of them came from Home Depot. 'Cafe Au Lait' was from Swan Island.
DeleteYep, horrid heat again after more than two weeks of relief. The Fuchsias produced new flowers just in time to be toast. At least the daylight hours are shorter than they are in June. Stay cool also. Autumn is almost here.
Thanks for the (hard to believe) tip!
DeleteMore an embarrassing admission than a tip! ;^)
DeleteYes indeed the Lagerstroemia are 'Dynamite'...and you do Dahlias very well!
ReplyDeleteHappy something loves heat. Even the Agaves were not overly pleased with August.
DeleteI have been lusting after one of those dark leaved, red Crape Myrtles since I first saw them here. This post has definitely raised my heart rate.
ReplyDeleteI'm besotted with them myself. The foliage is marvelous, and with the addition of crimson flowers, they seem to approach perfection.
DeleteI planted a 'Dynamite' last month (I also added 'Catawba' last fall). Yours is magnificent. They are such great trees, not only for flowers, but the bark gets more beautiful as they age.
ReplyDeleteThere is a 'Catawba' two houses over and it is a beauty. I love that color. You make an excellent point I forgot all about: the beauty of the bark. I am just starting to see a bit of it developing on the 'Dynamites' and I hope it develops further. As I remember the 'Natchez', the white/ivory one, has particularly beautiful bark. There is (or at least was ) a grove of them at the Getty Museum in LA, in the waiting area for the tram, and the bare trees in winter formed a living sculpture as good as any of the statues in the galleries.
DeleteYou will also get fall color to add to the show. Here it's never quite cold enough; the leaves just fall off.