August 2021 in the Northern Hemisphere

[Robert]

Plants from the genus Zephyranthes and Habranthus do well in our garden. Zephyranthes macrosiphon is sending up their next set of flowers for this season.



Another view of Zephyranthes macrosiphon.



Erythranthe cardinalis will bloom throughout the summer. We grow both the red and yellow flowering forms.



Lessingia leptoclada is a new breeding project.



Lessingia leptoclada is a California native annual. In its native habitat it endures heat, drought, and intense solar radiation. It will flower mid-summer through autumn. These are F₂ generation plants. So far, they hold promise as a new summer annual for our garden.

[Robert]

This new F₁ seedling of Tithonia totundifolia is also promising.



Another view of this new seedling derived from selfing the flowers of a somatic mutation found on a plant last summer. The flowers of all the seedlings exhibit yellow and orange-red pigmentation, however this is the best. I will see if it is possible to retain this trait.

[Robert]

Leena,

My wife and I watched the video of your garden. It was very inspirational! Thank you so much for sharing the video. We have a few butterflies in our garden. Our goal is to have many more.

    

[Mariette]

It´s great that You can grow Zephyranthes and Habranthus in the garden, Robert! I have to confine myself to a few grown in pots. Eryranthe cardinalis would make an attractive potted plant on our terrace, I think, and the Tithonia looks wonderful, too!

No such gems here: Lythrum salicaria ´Zigeunerblut´.



Rosa ´Fimbriata´, reblooming well. 



A dainty monkshood from a derelict garden in Sweden.



Allium carinatum ssp pulchellum with scutellaria.



Long after flowering, the leaves of Thalictrum ´Ghent Ebony´look still attractive.

[Leena]

Robert, thank you:). I'm glad you enjoyed it.

Mariette, that Thalictrum is very nice, as is the picture!
I googled it and it has also very nice dark leaves early on the season, but the leaf colour now is special.

[Mariette]

Thank You , Leena , Thalictrum ´Ghent Ebony´looks really special when in flower, the dark leaves contrasting well with the white flowers. But it´s an attractive plant later on, too, I think.
Yesterday I could spare the time to enjoy Your video - it´s interesting to hear the voice of someone with whom one exchanged only mails for years! I marvel at Your perfect pronounciation of the German names, did You learn our language for some time?
Your garden is such a lovely haven for flowers and insects, cosily surrounded by wood. When taking pics in my small garden I always have to take care to avoid the background of lots of blue plastic in the neighbouring garden! The gay floriferousness of Your summer-garden certainly makes up for Your long winters, and a lovely contrast to the very choice plants You grow in the woodland area. Thanks so much for sharing it!

[Robert]

Mariette,

I enjoy the scenes from your garden immensely. Your garden reminds me of mountain meadows in the Sierra Nevada (when there is adequate precipitation). You have so many nice plants and they seem very happy in your garden. Thank you for sharing the photographs. I look forward to your next posting. I appreciate the tour of all the gardens.

And… Thank you for the kind comments. I do the best I can with the plants I have on hand to create a garden that my wife and I enjoy. Last evening just after sunset it was still very hot, ~ 90 F (32.2 C). The air was very still, no wind. My wife and I were on our back patio enjoying the garden. Before it became dark, all the white flowers in the garden became illuminated like little lanterns in the garden. It was a very magical experience.

[Mariette]

Thank You for Your very kind words, Robert! Gardening conditions are difficult here, changing from very wet soil for most of the year to  extreme drought, which lasted for many months these last years. There are not many plants which can cope with our climate, so I have to confine myself to those  which manage to do so - yet always trying new candidates.

[Leena]

I marvel at Your perfect pronounciation of the German names, did You learn our language for some time?
Your garden is such a lovely haven for flowers and insects, cosily surrounded by wood. When taking pics in my small garden I always have to take care to avoid the background of lots of blue plastic in the neighbouring garden!

Mariette, thank you so much!
We can't see our neighbour's houses, which are about 200m from our house. There are trees in between.
My polytunnel however is easily in the pictures in the sunny garden because it is so big, and it isn't pretty at all:).

I had German at school more than 45 years ago (for only two years), but I have forgotten it and haven't used it since. Oh, except once I was travelling in Germany and Netherlands 1988 or 1989, I can't remember now which year, but my German was not so good even then, and I mostly used English. But it was good to understand even some language:). When I read Hepatica book which is in German, I mostly have to use google translate to be sure I understand correctly.

[Leena]

There are still quite a lot of butterflies in the garden. Now Eupatorium maculatum has opened flowers and it is their favourite.

[Gabriela]

There are still quite a lot of butterflies in the garden. Now Eupatorium maculatum has opened flowers and it is their favourite.

Eupatorium species are so great for all pollinators. I didn't dare plant maculatum but E. perfoliatum is also flowering now. It remains a bit smaller in size and has a delicious linden-like fragrance.

[Leena]

Gabriela, that is a nice white Eupatorium. E.maculatum is big, mine is taller than me:).
I have Ageratina altissima with white flowers, that is also a big plant.

[Herman Mylemans]

Some summer flowers:
Campanula versicolor
Echinacea ‘Delicious Candy’

[Herman Mylemans]

Echinacea purpurea 'Alba' and Echinacea purpurea 'Green Jewel'

[Gabriela]

Gabriela, that is a nice white Eupatorium. E.maculatum is big, mine is taller than me:).
I have Ageratina altissima with white flowers, that is also a big plant.

Ageratina is also a sort of Eupatorium after all I think many are still calling it like that. My tallest perennial is a Rudbeckia 'Herbstsonne' which thrives in a difficult spot where not many others would, and this also keeps it a bit in check (but just a bit

Herman: the red Echinacea has a really good name!