Blooms in August
Once again it is time for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day (GBBD), hosted by May Dreams Gardens. GBBD provides a mid-month opportunity to count up our flowering plants like a latter day pirate counting his treasures. So put on your eyepatch, and let’s go.
The Driveway Border is the most colorful of all the front garden borders at this time, with blooms of yellow (Ratibida pinnata, Helianthus annuus ‘Italian White’), orange (Tithonia rotundifolia), blue (Agastache foeniculum, Buddleia ‘Adonis Blue), and purple (Eupatorium purpureum ssp. maculatum ‘Gateway’).
A closer look.
As a commenter recently said, ‘Italian White’ is a truly sweet sunflower. At this point in the season it is blooming profusely. For now I am deadheading the flowers, eventually I will leave them to self-sow and feed the goldfinches.
Agastache foeniculum and Tithonia rotundifolia make such a cute couple.
‘Gateway’ Joe Pye Weed is not fully in bloom but is colorful anyway.
Last year I deadheaded Rosa ‘Cassie’ but this year I haven’t. Hips are forming, but ‘Cassie’ keeps on blooming regardless.
The new flowers look so fresh you can imagine it is springtime.
While the Driveway Border puts forth a riot of color, the Island Bed is also hard to ignore. With cupplant (Silphium perfoliatum) and sweet joe pye weed (Eupatorium purpureum), the Island Bed combines stature with daisies of yellow and clouds of soft pink.
The cupplant really is just stupendously tall.
In the Sidewalk Border, ‘Raspberry Wine’ bee balm (Monarda didyma) is fading, but still has plenty of color. Soon I should do some deadheading, though.
The swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) is also still blooming.
Oh, and remember sometime back I said there really were paths between these beds and borders? Well, here is the path between the Island Bed and the Driveway Border.
And here’s the path between the Sidewalk Border and the Island Bed.
In the Parkway Bed, calamint (Calamintha nepetoides) has clouds of tiny white flowers. Orange coneflower (Rudbeckia fulgida) and brown eyed susan (Rudbeckia triloba) are just starting to flower.
Many of the daylilies are done for the year, but over in the Left Bank Garden (my new name for the other side of the driveway), ‘Egyptian Spice’ and ‘Chicago Apache’ are still pumping out blooms.
Finally, another street view of our house and garden.
Things are a lot quieter in the back garden. The most exciting blooms are the remaining ‘Casa Blanca’ oriental lilies.
‘Darlow’s Enigma’ continues to bloom through the summer as it climbs up our arbor.
And there are containers filled with New Guinea impatiens (Impatiens hawkeri).
Finally, there is our one blackberry lily (Iris domestica), a gift from the birds. Since it seems intent on sticking around, I think I should get it some companions so it won’t get lonely.
For more blooms, head on over to May Dreams Gardens.
What’s your favorite bloom right now in your garden?
gardeninacity 
Your gardens are indeed bountiful beyond measure. Mine are overwhelmed by all kinds of yellow daisies with contrasting Purple Coneflower and Joe Pye Weed, but i writing this week about the rather inconspicuous Nodding Wild Onion (Allium cernuum).
I wish I had your “ribbon” driveway.
Just looked at your blog, good post!
Great treasure indeed, Jason. I liked that you showed views rather than many individual flowers. GBBD can become rather like bloom porn, which is why I haven’t participated for a while. Maybe I’ll join in next month with views.
I took a break from GBBD last month, It can be like bloom porn, but I don’t participate in many memes, and GBBD is kind of like a communal ritual.
I have a lot of pink, yellow, and orange right now. I’m loving that Casa Blanca oriental lily you have there. 🙂 I’ll be when a neighbor has a gardening question I know where s/he goes for an answer. 🙂
The Casa Blanca just finished blooming – already impatient to see it again next year.
Wow! Your yard is full, full, full. Love it! Right now, I am loving my Joe Pye because of the monarchs, the cardinal flower because of the hummingbirds, and the sunflowers because, well, they’re sunflowers.
Cardinal flower is gorgeous, I used to have it but it died out, I find it a little difficult if you don’t have just the right conditions.
Wow Jason those beds are absolutely crammed full. You’d need a crowbar to fit anything more in. I particularly like the mixture of tall airy plants with the rigid, upright vertical arching clumps of grasses. It really is an inspiration.
Thank you! I’m thinking I need a crowbar.
I echo the readers exclaiming at the fullness of your gardens! You have a lot of stuff, and a lot of it is BIG! What a show! Your conditions must be ideal, especially out front. I like how your Mexican sunflowers mingle amidst everything else–it ties it all together and makes a nice accent. I think you did a nice job of showing us long views as well as individual blooms. It’s nice to see how everything fits together. Happy Bloom Day!
This is the first year I mixed in the Mexican sunflowers, I’m definitely doing it again next year.
Jason, everything is so beautiful. I love seeing the “overall shots ” like these. You have a beautiful home and garden.
Right now my favourites in my own garden are still the daylilies but then phlox are coming along!
I saw the phlox on your last post – it looks good.
Looks great. You mention deadheading a few things, and I think one of the best things about your garden is the use of so many natives, but you actually tend them. So many times native plants get a bad rap as messy or weedy, and I think much of that comes from just leaving them neglected. Staking, pinching and deadheading go a long way in keeping ALL plants looking good.
That’s an excellent point. Native or not, these are plants in a garden, and need tending.
‘Cassie’ is wonderful Jason!
Your garden is very pretty and the drive way with these sunflowers is lovely.
And the containers are well combined with your porch, great!
I’m really happy with ‘Cassie’, she’s a great rose.
Wow, your garden is amazing, Jason! I don’t think I remember seeing these longer views before, and I’m not only impressed by how much you have blooming, but how tall so many of them are. As usual, you are a little behind me–my ‘Casablanca’ finished blooming a week or so ago. The ‘Italian White’ sunflower is a new one to me–I will definitely have to look for one of those.
Thanks! Yes, I definitely am attracted to the taller plants.
I just planted some Blackberry lilies (new to me) and so far they are doing fine in our clay soil. I read they want well drained soil. I have been working the soil for many years so hopefully it will drain enough for them. I have few other bloomers, August is a month when people and plants move slow or hibernate. I am enjoying everyone else’s blooms from the comfort of my A/C.
It’s usually more like that around here but as I’ve said it’s been mild this year. On the other hand, when summer ends your garden year is just beginning!
Delightful! My favourite is Apache – what are these tall grasses? They look like Panicum? Fab garden, Jason, enjoy it 🙂
Panicum virgatum, yes – ‘Northwind’ to be exact.
Jason, your garden is absolutely fabulous! The neigbours must stop and look every time they pass by! It looked good in the post where Judy photographed from the upstairs windows, but from the sidewalk you can see just how tall and lush and colourful it all is. Fantastic. You really are an inspiration, and I now have cupplants and joe pye weed on my shopping list. 🙂
I think you would enjoy them, especially the joe pye weed.
All so beautiful! Your blackberry lily will make its own companions, more like it. Unless you gather up the seed pods that look like blackberries. Mine drop their seeds and make babies, but not too many. Happy GBBD!
It’s been there a few years but no babies so far. I’m thinking of getting a couple of plants.
I just love tall flowers! It must be such a treat to walk among them and that Iris domestica ooooh!
As you can see I lean toward tall plants (get it?). They’re just very satisfying. Maybe they just make me feel like I’m getting my money’s worth.
Wow! It all looks fabulous. The drive border is amazing and I love your grassy path between the beds. All the tall plants give your garden a jungly feel.
My lilies are all over now but I have Casa blanca too, it is gorgeous.
Your pots look great and everything is so healthy and well cared for. You must have worked so hard and now you can sit back and enjoy it. Your neighbours must be enjoying it too.
Thank you! It’s true at this point in the summer there is a lot less work in the garden, so there is more time to enjoy the blooms and butterflies.
This is so inspiring Jason, I am with Christina, its hard to get the overall picture, you have really done this justice and your front garden drive border, I want that. What do you feed or mulch your borders with. What is the grass next to your Monarda, which I also want. Love the bold colour scheme and height of your plants. Seriously well done!
Thanks. The grass is Panicum virgatum ‘Northwind’. I don’t generally use fertilizers, just soil conditioners like composted cow manure, my own compost, and leaves along with miscellaneous plant debris. I’ve pretty much stopped applying compost in those particular beds, as the soil is as rich as I would want it to be.
This is all beautiful. I love seeing what people in much more urban spaces can accomplish.
It’s possible to do a lot with a small yard if you’re not too worried about what the neighbors think.
I just love your paths through borders filled with divine tall plants. Your garden does you credit, everything looks wonderful. What a beautiful lily that blackberry one is. I haven’t seen that before.xxx
The taxonomists have recently decided that the blackberry lily is actually an iris. Either way, it is lovely. The seedheads are also ornamental, they do look like blackberries – not edible, though.
I love the shot of the path between your sidewalk border and island bed. It’s really beautiful and shows how a curved path can draw people in and make them want to explore further.
Are those palm leaves in the back garden? When I think of Chicago gardens palms don’t come to mind.
Not palm leaves – Calladium. I grow it as an annual. I’ve tried saving the tubers but always end up with a bag of mush.
Jason I really love your front gardens…so many delightful flowers. My fav right now is Joe Pye. It has brought in monarchs so I love it even though it has seeded everywhere…great color this time of year.
The Monarchs and other butterflies really love the joe pye, don’t they? More than makes up for having to pull out a few seedlings.
It all just looks marvelous, Jason! How do you ever leave your own yard – I’d have to stay home all day every day, heh heh. If you’d like some seed from my blackberry lilies, I’d be delighted to send you some. LMK.
I appreciate the offer, but I’m an impatient gardener and think I’ll look for some plants.
Your late summer garden looks great!
Hanks so much!
Looks so impressive. Very helpful to see the layout of your garden and paths. That ‘Raspberry Wine’ bee balm is a lovely color.
And it’s fairly mildew resistant.
Yes, the pirate description is a good one! Thanks for the wider shots of your garden beds–very impressive! I’m so thrilled to see more Monarchs than last year. I hope the overall numbers in Mexico will be a little better.
I’m with you on the monarchs, keeping my fingers crossed.
Your front garden is a riot of blooms right now. Love those tall lilies. My blackberry lily has not reproduced by itself very well. You might aswell get a couple ot keep this one company. Happy GBBD.
That’s what I’m thinking. Happy GBBD!
‘Darlow’s Enigma’ is one of my favorites. What a show. The garden is amazing and makes me very wistful for summer’s abundance. I especially like the containers and plantings around the back door. Reminds me of days we used to sit on the back stoop and eat watermelon.
Darlow’s Enigma is great – keeps blooming through the year, disease resistant, and fragrant, too.
Your killing me with your insanely awesome blooms!!! That path throughout is ridiculously fantastic!!! And my bee balm never lasts that long! Everything is stunning Jason!
Thanks!
Things look pretty lush over there, so I guess the extra rain did not hurt. Be thankful it wasn’t hurricane winds. I am interested in that sunflower – does it attract bees?
Ray
Oh, yes. Pollinators love Mexican sunflower. Including bees.