Just when we thought the hottest part of the summer was behind us…wham!….it his hot hot hot here again.
Each year, as a gardener, I find new and different plants that (I hope) will do well in the prolonged hot spells here. Luckily I DID install two separate watering systems a few years ago: they are absolute life-savers when we go away. I don’t think I would have a garden at all without them…
Zinnias, of course, are at their peak now. And the lime green, from FloretFarms, has not disappointed. It also looks fabulous in all my arrangements and photos with the dark dahlias, verbena bonariensis and my most loved scabiosa black knight.
In all its glory:
I have several Guara plants on my “southern slope” that always do well in May and June. Then they begin to die out. So this year I cut them way, way back (always a difficult task as you just never know…..) and yes indeed, they came back beautifully in August.
And the hyacinth bean vine!
We started these early, in a greenhouse, so they were ready to plant outside in early April. And they absolutely took off. I have them on all my white fences and trellis and they look lovely and exotic.
A shot for my Instagram feed with the hyacinth bean and scabiosa:
Here you can see the “beans” or seed pods. I opened these last fall, dried the large seeds inside, and we put them into the greenhouse for the early planting this year.
Probably my very favorite daylily:
Hemerocallis Hyperion
It is such a pretty, true yellow; has a slight scent; yes, takes several years to multiply nicely; and looks wonderful against any white fence. Actually, it looks wonderful anywhere!
Ok, one last shot of my zinnias:
Do you refresh your garden throughout the season? Do you add new plants as fillers when others are past their prime or have simply not made it? I’ve been doing that this summer and it’s worked very well for me. Especially in my narrow front garden along the fence, I have filled in with seasonal and bright annuals. No, they will not be around next year, or even late this fall, but they do provide that boost of color. And, I’ve become more daring in cutting back perennials to get a second bloom (see ‘guara’ above) and it’s paid off.
Enjoy your long weekend everyone; I’m hoping to have time to finish a post on our recent travels to the mountains in western North Carolina!
Your zinnias are lovely, they failed here due to the hot weather this year! I pulled out one of my gaura plants yesterday it’s a shame I didn’t get to read your blog first and try cutting it back. I have never come across the hyacinth bean before does it have a scent?
Thanks for joining in Through the Garden Gate.
Sarah
No, Sarah, no scent just a bit of “exoticness”. Really, your zinnias didn’t like the heat? They are usually so heat tolerant; mine do very well here and are such a nice addition to the late summer garden!
Hyacinth bean with its purple pods is lovely
Diana Studer recently posted…False Bay garden and water in August
Diana: Yes, isn’t it lovely? And so easy to grow and so prolific. The perfect plant/vine! Thanks so much for visiting!
The lime green zinnia! Wow!
I’ve wanted to try these for years….they look so wonderful with the dark flowers I grow too!!!
Your gardening skills are amazing to me. I love hyacinth – purple is my color, so any purple plant has my vote. Cant wait to hear about your mountain adventures! Have a great weekend.
Your late summer garden is doing you proud, Libby. Some of my own Zinnia seeds (as well as my dahlia tubers) came from Floret. I planted Floret’s hyacinth bean seeds last year but, sadly, the vine never really took off, probably a combination of untimely planting and too little water.