August Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day
The first of the asters and goldenrods are blooming, and that means fall is coming. The heat and drought made for a difficult summer, and yet I hate to think of it ending so soon. Anyhow, here’s what’s blooming:
Agastache foeniculum (anise hyssop). Late to bloom this year, but now at its peak.
Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed).
Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed).
Asclepias tuberosa (butterflyweed). These two milkweeds are almost at the end of their season.
Aster macrophyllus (big leaf aster). My kids like to call this “big ass leafter”.
Aster oblongifolius (aromatic aster).
Aster prenanthoides (crooked-stem aster). This is the earliest to bloom. I’ve got at least another four species that won’t flower for another couple of week or more.
Campanula rotundifolia (harebell).
Canna, various cultivars.
Cleome hasslerana ‘Sparkler’ (spider flower).
Cleome ‘Seniorita Rosalita’ (spider flower).
Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sensation’.
Cosmos sulphureus (orange cosmos).
Echinacea purpurea (purple coneflower).
Eupatorium ‘Gateway’ (Joe Pye weed).
Eupatorium purpureum (sweet Joe Pye weed).
Helianthus mollis (downy sunflower).
Helianthus strumosus (woodland sunflower). A sunflower for shade!
Heliopsis ‘Summer Nights’ (oxeye sunflower).
Hydrangea arborescens ‘White Dome’.
Impatiens, various cultivars.
Lantana ‘New Gold’.
Lobelia cardinalis (cardinal flower).
Lobularia maritima (sweet alyssum).
Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’ (bee balm).
Nicotania alata (flowering tobacco).
Pelargonium peltatum (ivy geranium).
Pelargonium hybrids (zonal geranium).
Pentas lanceolata (star flower).
Petunia, various cultivars.
Rosa ‘Cassie’, ‘Darlow’s Enigma’, Sally Holmes’. These are really good for blooming through the season, though the heaviest bloom is early summer. They are all white or cream colored and single or semi-double.
Rudbeckia fulgida (black eyed susan).
Rudbeckia triloba (brown eyed susan).
Ruelia humilis (wild petunia). Not really a petunia. Supposed to self-seed aggressively but I haven’t found that to be the case.
Scabiosa columbaria ‘Butterfly Blue’ (pincushion flower).
Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant).
Solidago odora (anise scented goldenrod). The first of the goldenrods to bloom! A shorter goldenrod that does well in dry shade or sun.
Symphirocarpos album (snowberry).
Symphirocarpos orbiculatus (coralberry).
Verbena ‘Cherry Red’, ‘Homestead Purple’.
Vernonia altissima (ironweed). This is their first year blooming. They are only 4-5′ tall this year, but wait until next year!
gardeninacity 
Your gardens are lovely. You have so much in bloom and the foliage is looking good still in the pictures. Nice combos there.
Cher Sunray Gardens
Thanks. I prefer plants that are pretty tough, with lots of natives.
Have you had any monarch cats yet?
No! And I’m so disappointed! Although I have seen what I think is frass. Also, I planted dill, parsley, fennel AND golden alexander and STILL haven’t seen any swallowtail cats.
me either! It’s still a little early for the monarch cats here but i have not seen any swallowtails at all. My fennel has died out but my spicebush hasn’t had any visitors yet.
I used to have two Darlow’s Enigma until they succumbed to the witches broom disease and I had to remove them, I really miss them.
Your gardens look spectacular! I love your plant choices and combinations. I wish I lived nearby so I could persuade you to give me a tour.
Thanks. I didn’t know that about witches broom. Is there a way to prevent that?
If you’re ever in the Chicago area, I’ll be happy to give you a tour.
Beautiful gardens! Everything looks very happy despite your heat and drought! Yea for little lawn left!
Thanks! Normally I don’t water, but this year I gave in. And I have the water bills to prove it. These prairie plants plus exotics like nepeta are very good at withstanding drought.
I think wildlife “friendly” is an understatement in your garden! Amazing abundance!
Thanks very much. Still have a ways to go in attracting butterflies. Also, I need a bigger water feature!
Lots of beauties–many of which I’m familiar with. I’ve always wanted to grow Cannas, but they love the sun. They’re so tall and dramatic–they look great in planters, too! Happy belated GBBD!
And also to you! Actually I grow cannas in light shade and they seem to do ok, though probably I don’t get optimal blooming.
Jason, I’m impressed by how much you have going on in your garden. I need to work on adding more late-blooming plants. The goldenrod that grows wild at the side of my driveway is in its full glory now, and I have little wild lavender asters that are just beginning to bloom (which is nice because the asters in the garden have been totally eaten by the woodchuck and will not bloom this year).
Thank you for including the photo of the flowering tobacco; I saw that in bloom in the display garden at a local nursery recently and had no idea what it was.
I am into fall flowers in a big way, to paraphrase somebody, my asters have just begun to bloom. Also goldenrods. I have many species of each. Lucky there are no woodchucks here. Although we do have seem to be Skunk Central for the upper midwest.
Your garden looks amazing…full of pretty much all my favorite plants!!!
Thank you! But there are so many more favorite plants I don’t have room for!
Wow, you have a lot blooming! Very pretty gardens. I need to look into agastache. Thanks for visiting my blog the other day.
Thanks. Agastache is a favorite of mine. Only thing is, it can flop if the soil is rich. I cut it back but even then have to stake it. Enjoyed your blog.