In Bloom Today, August 15

First off, a bouquet of flowers that are all blue and violet. Stokesia, Asters, Scabiosa.
I thought that this saturday I would photograph what was in bloom today, and then post it. Funny, I thought I would have more than this, but I have realized something – August is probably the one month of the year when there really isn’t much in bloom in my garden. At least, anything that is horticulturally interesting. Still, there was enough to photograph and to post. Hope everyone else posting on their garden blogs enjoy it too.

Clerodendron ugandense, I love to grow large tubs of various Clerodendron species for late summer color, but this species is less show, but equally pretty since it had true blue flowers, and who doesn’t like that! Tender, I take cuttings near frost to winter over in the greenhouse.

China Asters were my mom’s favorite flowers, and she would grow rows of them when I was a kid. haven’t seen them much since then, and I have found out why. They are very challenging to grow, prone to virus’ and wilt. Still, I tried this year, and had great luck. Although I have no dark purple ones.

Odd, I know, but this choice and rare shrub was one of the most expensive plants I had ever purchased. Aralia elata variegata. It’s flower heads are huge, and buzzing with bees. The foliage is stunningly variegated.

Acis autumnalis,, the autumn snowflake blooming in the raised alpine bed along the greenhouse. This tiny bulb blooms in August and September and is no taller than a foot tal.

I am smitten by Crocosmia, and surprisingly they have been quite hardy for me, here in my Zone 5 garden. From South Africa, the corms spread slowly, and the plants are starting to form nice, strong clumps.

A Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly on a Stokesia in the Gold and Blue Gravel Garden.

Belamcanda ‘Halo Yellow’, the Dwarf Blackberry Lily, first year planting that I bought at Plant Delights.

A yellow Crocosmia with a lost tag, still, nice.

A white Agapanthus from South Africa, is much more floriferous than any of my other varieties, mostly violet flowered ones. I divided it this year, and now have four large tubs. The Rudy Throated Hummingbirds love it.

I think it is safe to say that we have the largest and oldest Gardenia shrub in New England. Perhaps 30 years old, and 8 feet in diameter, it was pruned heavily this year so that we could move it back into the greenhouse. Still, every august, I pick dozens of flowers, 27 today!

Another Plant Delights delight, a double tiger lily. I know, a little white trash, but it’s a memory thang.

OK, everyone has been posting their Verbena bonariensis shots, so here is mine. I wish they would self seed here, but we are too cold in the winter. So I have to grow them the old fashioned way every year….from seed started early in the greenhouse.

Oreganum and other red, grey and silver plants in my 1950’s themed ( color-palette-wise) hanging basket.