Come August I have recovered from my “it’s nearly Christmas and we are all doomed” angst and into my “let us live in the moment, time is but an illusion” phase. The garden is pretty much looking after itself, just some dead heading and propping and thinking. I have begun collecting seed and planning for the future, making unlikely promises to myself. It is all part of the circle. I never quite believe them. For more about Six on Saturday visit our mentor Jim at Garden Ruminations. It is worth a look, I’ll be popping over myself very shortly. Let’s get this show on the road!
I have been struggling to get a worthy photo of Impatiens arguta ‘Alba’ and this is the best of a bad lot. This year it has seeded itself far and wide, but it is easily pulled up and so far has not proved to be too much of a nuisance.
One of my favourite salvias is S. involucrata ‘Hadspen’. Tall, cerise pink and furry, what more could you want?!
Our little potted apple tree has done quite well this year, in spite of next door’s fencer snapping a branch or two. I am sure I made a note of the variety, quite where I put that note is another matter indeed.
Never, ever plant Bidens ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop’ in your garden. It is a thug. It is thuggish to thugs. Do not be swayed by its elegant beauty. It will take over your world with a trillion intertwined roots that weave relentlessly through the border. There is no mercy. A job for the autumn is to try and get rid of this monster. Pretty though.
Dahlia ‘Verone’s Obsidian’ is one of the few named dahlias that I have in the garden. It has the distinctive Honka shape and is most likely parent to some of the others. I am very fond of it.
A photo bombing Verbena bonariensis amongst a sea of Rudbeckia fulgida. Another rampant yellow daisy. I’m going to be busy.
Another six, another week. Next time I will be a whole year older.
Off The Edge Gardening 
Black eyed Susan is pretty, but seems a bit too Midwestern to be as popular as it is there. Good taste. Potted apple trees are a bit of work. A bit of neglect can ruin the fruit. I am impressed.
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Thank you. Is Midwestern a bad thing?
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Now, it is AWESOME! I just do not expect to see Midwestern prairie flowers in areas where there are no prairies.
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Thanks for the warning re the bidens! It’s one I would have been tempted to buy so I’ll keep that in mind.
I’m not normally a dahlia fan but I’m rather partial to “Verone’s Obsidian”, it’s a gorgeous colour.
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It is quite striking isn’t it?!
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I have a potted apple tree too, good to see a fellow one thriving. I do have some apple on my so fingers crossed they reach fruition.
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I am in good company!
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Potted apple trees sound like a good idea. My huge one is a hard hat area this year as the tree is so laden with fruit, it can’t hang on to them all and it flings them around with gay abandon making life very dangerous for gardeners. Love your Impatiens arguta. I love all the honka dahlias and they set loads of seed which give you a whole range of beautiful colours. Have you tried sowing them?
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It is a good year for fruit, I think. I might make a special effort to collect seed from that dahlia this year and see what comes of it. It has a few different friends that might have an impact on the outcome!
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Indeed, that’s what makes growing dahlias from seed such enormous fun. And you get flowers the first year.
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Your apples are looking quite delicious! Nice to see some healthy Rudbeckia – I have swaths of it but in this summer’s drought they’ve become swaths of wilted greens and unopened flower buds, crispy on the edges.
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That is sad, we are having more hot weather so I wonder how long until these start to complain!
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Ohhh, these are beauties, and the apples look delicious! That Dahlia is really special, and the other blooms are lovely, too. I generally don’t think, “it’s nearly Christmas and we are all doomed,” until after Halloween. But I had to chuckle at your words. It does kinda bother me when the local news people start talking about fall and winter in early July. Ugh. Anyway, as you say, living in the moment is a healthy outlook. Enjoy the beauty of your garden now. It’s wonderful!
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Happy Birthday Sis for some time during the week! What a lovely time of year to have a birthday, may you party in the garden, even if it is just with a cuppa early in the morning. I read that you trained at Bristol Zoo, I always used to love the plantings when taking my son to the zoo there. The Cotswold Wildlife Park and Gardens were always very nicely planted out too.
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Thank you Sis, it was Monday and I had a lovely day. Bristol Zoo was a lovely place to have as a base, sadly it has now gone, I wonder what happened to that lovely tree.
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Those last two photos are rather splendid – although I’m determined to resist the allure of Dahlias – my stupid lot are refusing to flower. Despite your warnings I now want a Bidens ‘Hannay’s Lemon Drop.’
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I think you asked me why I dissed Bidens last year!! I cut the flowers for birth control. Apples look delicious
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The last photo is gorgeous ! Very nice contrast. I also have this variety of Dahlia Honka at home which had flowered well until the heat wave. I don’t know if it survives without my care. I’ll see that when I get back.
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Thanks for the warning, another rampant thug I do not need! As for the Honka dahlia, I’m not sure about the windmill style, but I do like that colour. Enjoy the lovely sunny week ahead, perfect for a birthday BBQ I would say. I can bring my own sausages…
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