I enjoyed seeing Chloris’ Top Ten August Blooms this morning and decided on a whim to join in this month. I have not spent enough time in my garden this year. I knew there would be zinnias and dahlias but honestly was relieved to walk around and find I could meet the requirement of sharing ten different blooms. These are what I saw today.
Flowers in my garden at early morning were still bathed in rainwater after yesterday’s storms. Rudbeckia laciniata is growing in three different parts of the garden. Flowers are giving over to cones, but there are a few fresh blooms.
Rudbeckia laciniata (Green-Headed Coneflower)
Perovskia atriplicifolia has struggled some years, but is doing well in the Southern Path.
Perovskia atriplicifolia (Russian Sage)
This salvia is spreading slowly through the southern border, but never overreaches. In the past it took breaks before reblooming in cooler days, but this summer it has shrugged off dry weather and heat and kept going.
Salvia guaranitica ‘Black and Blue’
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ has been given more space and sun this year. It responded to being cut back sharply in early spring. This is invasive in some places and I would not miss having it but it has been difficult to dig out. Despite its butterfly-attracting reputation, it doesn’t seem to draw much attention.
Buddleja davidii ‘Adokeep’ (Adonis blue Butterfly Bush)
Lantana camara has been a magnet for swallowtails and other pollinators, though I saw only one butterfly this morning while I was taking pictures.
Lantana camara (Common lantana)
Leucanthemum bloomed profusely for weeks this summer. This morning a lone flower stood bravely among drying seeds.
Leucanthemum x superbum (Shasta Daisy)
Physostegia virginiana, a passalong from my garden mentor, Virgie, began blooming this week.
Physostegia virginiana (Obedient Plant)
Cleome has bloomed cheerfully all summer. It reseeds freely but is easy to remove.
A new addition to the garden in 2019, Crinum ‘Powellii’ looked promising as I left for the beach at July’s end. When I returned August 4 it had already bloomed.
Crinum ‘Powellii’
You can see I didn’t think through the color scheme when planting the Crinum, just hurried it into the ground before weeds came any closer.
Crinum ‘Powellii’
For my final selection I must share a few dahlias. Many did not survive but I enthralled with the blooms on these plants that made it.
Dahlia ‘Cafe Au Lait’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
Dahlia ‘David Howard’
I invite you to check out Chloris’ top picks for August at The Blooming Garden. You are in for a treat with offering from her Suffolk garden and from others around the globe.
pbmGarden 
Your August blooms are gorgeous! I love the crinum, it’s similar to one that I grow, but I have no idea what it is. My mother planted hers decades ago and mine come from her originals. Nice array of flowers!
It’s nice to have a passalong your mother grew. Someone told me crinum are in every southern garden, but I had never been aware of them for years. I tried growing one in 2011 without success. Glad I gave it another try.
David Howard is my number one dahlia, Art Deco looks interesting I shall have to look out for it over here.
I’m loving the color of David Howard and its dark foliage too. Art Deco has a nice range of sunrise/sunset kind of hues within each flower.
A great 10, Susie. Everything looks so fresh after the rain, esp. the Dahlias.
Thanks. We’re all refreshed after finally getting rain!
Your garden looks fresh and colorful, Susie. All your top 10 are beautiful but Dahlia ‘Gallery Art Deco’ won my heart and I’ll look for it when I select cultivars for next year’s dahlia-fest. Coincidentally, I came across masses of Physostegia at my local botanic garden this week. It wasn’t labeled and it’s not something I’ve ever seen for sale in garden centers here but I knew I’d seen it in books and/or blogs and I finally ferreted out its identity. Now, if it can grow 5 miles away, I should be able to grow it here too and I’m intent on trying it next year, assuming I can find seeds or plugs.
Thanks Kris. ‘Gallery Art Deco’ is nice. It doesn’t grow very tall so staking is less an issue. Come to think of it I’ve never seen Physostegia in a garden center either. Honestly I wouldn’t plant it again because it spreads so easily and is hard to remove.
Thank you for joining in Susie, I love your August blooms, all lovely, but dahlias always steal my heart. They come in such fabulous colours and bloom for so long, ‘Café au Lait’ is a real winner.
I’ll have to look for other dahlias to try next year. I’m smitten.
Why don’t you try growing some from seed? It’s much more fun having your own home grown beauties and they bloom the first year.
Might be a fun challenge.
Lovely! That ‘Black and Blue’ Salvia is really special, isn’t it? And your collection of Dahlias is glorious. I really must find a good spot for Obedient Plant–it’s lovely, and I like the fact that it’s a late-summer bloomer.
Yes, I do like that salvia. Obedient plant is with you forever once you invite it in.
You have lots of lovely blooms and your dahlias are spectacular! I must try them again, haven’t grown them for a few years now and feel the garden would be better for some late blooms.
Thanks Pauline. The dahlias have been rewarding, providing cut flowers as well as color in the border.
Beautiful, absolutely gorgeous bunch
Thank you!
You have so many beautiful blooms. Isn’t it nice that your flowers bloom for you, even when you have spent time with them.
You got some rad ones. I particularly like the Physostegia virginiana. I was just commenting to someone else that the white cultivar grew in old gardens when I was in school in the 1980s, but seemed to phase out. A pin cultivar appeared briefly in the 1990s, but also phased out. I have not seen either in many years.
This comes from an old garden. I’d like the white.
They happen to look good in white. The pink is a bit flashy. I suppose it depends on preference. White happens to be my favorite color anyway.
That’s 10 very fine blooms, though I think the only ones we share are Cleome and Rudbeckia laciniata. For annual Salvia I prefer ‘Mystic Spires’ – though is ‘Black and Blue’ hardy where you are?
Thanks. Yes, black and blue has overwintered for many years and is having its best year ever, thanks to more sunshine after a tree removal. Mystic Spires looks nice—I’ll have to give it a try. Always looking to add more purple.