summer flowers

Back garden August 2021

Summer’s Finale: Rose, Lily, Dahlia

Fall (autumn) is almost here. We have had actual rain in the past week, and more is predicted. I am no longer a slave to the hose and watering can.

Here are some photos from August, which is usually a dismal month in the garden–tired, seedy, and dry. This year, despite the heat dome of June and hardly any rain, the scene was blessed by three plants: the rose “Fragrant Cloud,” happy in its new big pot, two plants of the dahlia “Bishop of Llandaff” (also in pots), and a couple of late-blooming white lilies (grown in half-barrels). That’s the secret: pots (and the gardener with the watering can).

Rose "Fragrant Cloud" August 2021
Rose "Fragrant Cloud" August 2021
Rose "Fragrant Cloud" August 2021
White lily closeup August 2021
White lily and pink African violet indoors August 2021
Dahlia "Bishop of Llandaff" August 2021
Dahlia "Bishop of Llandaff" closeup August 2021
Japanese Painted Fern (Athyrium niponicum) and yellow leaf August 2021
Fall begins. Autumn arrives.
Back garden end of June 2021

Strange and Wonderful

We’re roasting through another heat wave on the west coast. Here are sights from the garden in July and so far in August. First the strange…

Rose "Fragrant Cloud" bloom bleached by sun during June 2021 heat wave
Flower of rose “Fragrant Cloud” bleached by the late June heat wave.
This is “Fragrant Cloud’s” normal colour
Battarrea phalloides mushroom with trowel for size comparison July 2021
The weird dryland mushroom Battarrea phalloides is back again this summer. (The trowel is there as a size comparison. It’s about 8 in. or 20 cm.)
Borage flowers from above July 2021
Borage flowers viewed from above. Sort of an art nouveau effect, I think.
Windblown cloud or maybe contrail July 2021
A wind-sculpted cirrus cloud (or maybe a contrail.)

And now the wonderful…

Borage flowers July 2021
Borage flowers
White Lychnis coronaria and Beach Pea (Lathyrus japonicus) June 2021
White Lychnis coronaria and beach pea (Lathyrus japonicus). Two quasi-weeds having a moment.
Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum) and orange daylily
This Japanese painted fern (Athyrium niponicum) has outdone itself again this summer.
Heuchera "Timeless Orange" with leaves coloured cream, yellow, orange, and red
Heuchera “Timeless Orange” showing leaf colours other than orange.
Pink oriental lily from mixed batch August 2021
Another lily from the impulse buy mixed bag of bulbs.
Dahlia "Bishop of Llandaff" August 2021
Dahlia “Bishop of Llandaff.” The flowers glow wonderfully just about sunset, but the camera doesn’t pick that up as well as I’d like.
Pink dahlia flowers August 2021
The Nameless Dahlia in fine form.

That’s it for now. Tomatoes are ripening; with luck they won’t roast on the vine.

Red, Pink and Blue

Some nice blooms in the garden this week.

 

Dahlia "Bishop of Llandaff" with visiting bee.

Dahlia “Bishop of Llandaff” with visiting bee.

 

The only pink Oriental lily this year (not "Stargazer" but similar).

The only pink Oriental lily this year (not “Stargazer” but similar).

 

Dark blue Delphinium.

Dark blue Delphinium.

 

Zooming in.

Zooming in.

 

Zooming in closer.

Zooming in closer.

 

The garden is probably at its summertime best right now. Any day I’ll start complaining that it’s Going to Hell.