Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - August 2013

Unknown species of Rudbeckia

Welcome to Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day for August 2013.

Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I am astounded by the difference between this year's blooms and last year's blooms.

Last year, we had no rain all summer. This year, we've had rain mostly when we've needed it and as a result, there is far more blooming now than compared to last year.

I will take this year, hands down, over last year.

Let's start  in the flower border I call August Dreams Gardens.  It is planted with prairie type plants that will mostly bloom in August or later.

At one end, I planted some tall black-eyed Susan type flowers, pictured above. I am becoming quite lax of late in regards to plant labels and tags and so I no longer knew which species this is. But it is four to five feet tall.

August Dreams Garden Border

At the other end of this garden border, another variety of  black-eyed susans, (Rudbeckia fulgida 'Goldsturm'? ) are in full bloom along with Joe-Pie weed, Eupatorium 'Little Joe'.  What you cannot see in the picture is that Boltonia asteroides 'Snowbank' is showing its first tiny blooms and the rare goldenrod, Solidago shortii, is not far behind.

Across the path from August Dreams Garden, I have a clematis climbing up and throw a bayberry shrub, making it appear that the bayberry is blooming.

Unknown clematis blooming in bayberry

I do like the pure white flowers of this clematis, but sadly, I do not remember which cultivar this is.  Um... one of the white ones.

Across the way, a dwarf butterfly bush is blooming and attracting butterflies.

Butterfly on a butterfly bush

This is not the 'Lo & Behold Blue Chip' butterfly bush. I have loads of them blooming in the front garden. This is a different variety that gets a little larger than those. Which variety? See above how lax I'm becoming about variety names.

A volunteer Verbena bonariensis nearby is attracting bees to the garden.

Bees are an affirmation of a garden's health.

I'd like to thank both the bee and the butterfly for not flying away while I took their pictures.

Another bloom that is attracting many pollinators to the garden is calamint,  Calamintha nepeta supsp. nepeta.

A mostly well-behaved member of the mint family

This plant is fairly well behaved for a member of the mint family.  It grows along the edge of the border called Ploppers' Field. I like to mow right up next to it so I can smell its minty goodness when I walk by.

There are other blooms in the garden in mid-August. Many of them including coneflowers, shasta daisies, the Knock-out roses, and hydrangeas are carry overs from July.  Others, include the old-fashioned hosta that I call August Lilies are just beginning to bloom.

All of them are a delight to me, and make me love my garden this year, especially.  

What's blooming in your garden in mid-August? I'd love to see and read about whatever it is that brightens your garden on the 15th of every month.

Please join in with your own Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day post. Just post on your blog about what is blooming this month in your garden and then come back here and leave a link to your blog post in the Mr. Linky widget below along with a brief comment to entice us to virtually visit your garden.

The rules for Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day are simple... no rules! You can include pictures, lists, no lists, common names, botanical names, whatever you’d like to do to showcase your blooms. You can post early, you can post late. We are grateful for whatever you share with us. Thank you, and all are welcome!

Now, say it together with me...

“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence