Friday, August 15, 2014

August Bloom Day


The only new blooms this month are the feathery bloom stalks of the Pampas Grass in our backyard. I think they're dramatic and pretty.


The Crape Myrtles are fading, but still blooming.


The hanging baskets of geraniums are still hanging in there. This one is in an area with mostly shade.


Crape Myrtle 'Candy Cane' still has some striking color.


Just a few red trumpets are still hanging on the Cardinal Climber, which has now climbed over the backyard neighbor's fence. I wonder what he thinks of this.


Black-Eyed Susans are still blooming in the wildflower bed. I will try re-seeding in September to see if I can get a few more things to come up.



Here's a wide view of the now-fading Rainbow Bed. We had one Crinum bloom this year, but the rest are all foliage. That's okay, I don't expect to see them bloom until next summer.


Tropical, a.k.a. Scarlet Sage, is still blooming heartily. The bumblebees like this one.


Knockout Rose is putting out a fresh round of blooms.


You might be able to see the purple stalks of Salvia 'Mystic Spires' here. I deadheaded it recently, and it responded right away with more pretty, bright bloom stalks.


Yellow Shrimp Plant is hanging in there. Both of these two plants have bushed out quite a bit since I planted them this Spring.


I've let the wild Morning Glory really go wild this year. It's climbing all over the place.


See?


Purple Heart is still blooming.


When I pulled out an unproductive tomato plant earlier this summer, I left the tomato cage upturned near the wild Morning Glory, just to see if it would climb. Of course, it did. Vines are fun, aren't they?


Plumbago is sneaking under and through the fence to enjoy the sunny side near the currently-defunct vegetable garden.


One of my succulents is blooming, a purple Echeveria, perhaps? 



Plumbago Row is happy in this scorching, dry weather.



Autumn Sage is reblooming. It would probably look even better if I cut back the bloom stalks to encourage a more compact shape, but it's pretty anyway. 


Esperanza/Yellow Bells is thriving on complete neglect, along with Plumbago and the Texas Redbud.





Turk's Cap blooms are petering out, but there are still several, and we still see hummingbirds and Swallowtail butterflies almost daily.


Liriope is sending up pretty little lavender bloom stalks.


Seems like I have a bloom-stalk theme this month.

2 comments:

  1. Lots of blooms to enjoy this August - this has been a pretty good summer, hasn't it? We may have to be referring back to these photos next year if our summertime weather snaps back to more droughty conditions again. (If I were your neighbor I'd be happy-happy to have your blooming vines sneaking over to share!).

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    1. Thanks, Deb! You're right, we've gotten off easy this summer. Here's hoping for a rainy Fall, too!

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