Flower Garden in August

What beautiful gardens we have had this year! After much garden renovation the perennial beds have shaped up rather nicely. Our work was finally rewarded.  Previous years have brought crushed dreams and shattered illusions as the extreme drought last year fried every living plant I put into the garden beds, in spite of a watering system.

Renovated garden bed with new plantings..
Heliopsis,  Canna Lily Tropicana in front, Buddleia-Butterfly Bush in rear

French Weigelia

One of the stalwarts of the original landscape here was an ancient French Weigelia that I patiently tried to work with, for way too long. I respected that it was an old resident of the property but it abused my respect. After four years of pruning, and the "spa" treatment, it was just too much plant for the space it was in. The shrub bloomed beautifully for maybe one, or two weeks a year. It took up a quarter of the bed, and it put out invasive runners in every direction. Those runners put out leaves and the rest of the perennials were choking for light, water and air. It had to go! This spring Mister accommodated my request, and pried it out of the ground with a wrecking bar...yes a heavy steel wrecking bar. With lever like motions the shrub came up,out, and the planting party began. I couldn't believe all the room we now had in the garden bed once that Weigelia was gone.  I planted a whole trunk load of colorful new perennials.

Canna Lily Tropicana, florescent orange
with yellow green striped leaves,a baudy gaudy gal!

Black Eyed Suzy

Fragrant, tall Phlox

My new  perennial garden bed residents include a huge pink Hibiscus (which itself might take over the garden), a florescent orange Canna Lily variety Tropicana with fabulous striped leaves, Red Hot Poker Tritoma,  Stella D'Oro day lilies, two types of Shasta Daisies,  Russian Sage, Black Eyed Suzy,  Blue Salvia, Onethera-Sun Drops and a few more beauties I can not remember at this moment. Over this summer they have been beautiful, in bountiful progressive bloom.  We have had a nice progression of colorful bloom all throughout the summer. In the center of this perennial bed is a large full  Butterfly Bush with magnificent Amethyst flowers and a beckoning fragrance. When you walk through the garden the scent of this bush will wrap you in its arms and pull you to it,  the fragrance is just so alluring. This purple bush makes a super background to the perennials that surround it. Its like a giant anchor in the bed, the color scheme revolves around it.  The color combinations this spring and summer have been fascinating and lovely. I stroll out each and every day to see what new combination has bloomed in the perennial bed.   Purples, pinks, yellow-orange, yellow-green, orange, blue, and white all seem to mix into lovely Impressionistic mosaics. A pleasure we have worked diligently to achieve...at last satisfaction.

Hibiscus buds and blossom about to pop.

Hosta,  Plantain Lily, fragrant white