September, already?

How can it already be September?  This felt like the shortest summer ever.  Since we really didn't have a whole lot of summer weather it doesn't feel as if it's already time for the kids to go back to school.  In the last few days I've begun to feel fall in the air.  It feels like it's time to start lighting the pumpkin spice candles and put a blanket back on the bed (although I don't think it was off for more than a month or so).  Luckily there are still more flowers coming so at least it doesn't look like summer is over.

 Abutilon thompsonii which I just purchased after seeing some Abutilon growing in Ciscoe's garden.  Apparently they are very easy to take cuttings and root - he said just put the cutting in water and wait for it to root.  So, that will be my challenge this year.

 I bought a start of a Morning Glory earlier in the summer has really just started blooming and growing.  I love how they seem to glow in pictures.

Golden Feverfew - I have growing in a container.  I'm not sure whether this will over winter or not, but they are so cheerful to look out at.

 Zinnia 'Persian Jewels' - The Zinnias are so short this year and just starting to bloom, very late for them.

 The Littlest Gardener and I have noticed that Daddy Longlegs (that's what we call these guys) seem to be on every Sunflower plant, blooming or not.  One day we watched one of them along with an ant and a wasp.  They were all on the same leaf and I couldn't figure out if the wasp was going after the ant or the Daddy Longlegs.  Anyway, now I wonder why they like Sunflowers so much?

 Another Sunflower starting to bloom.  The petals remind me of long blonde bangs blowing around someone's face.

 This is the bud of the gigantic leaved Sunflower that was only supposed to get to 18 inches tall.  I can't wait to see how big it is.

 A really pretty Dahlia with dark foliage.

A new rose from this summer is David Austin rose 'Harlow Carr'.  It has such a good smell and the flowers are on the small side, I love it!

Today is the first day of 8th grade for Sweet Pea!  Next week the Littlest Gardener starts Pre-K.  Time goes by quickly and there are days I wish they wouldn't grow so fast.
Is fall in the air where you are?
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Lots of pretties at the end of August.

It's hard to believe August is almost over and school is just about to start.  It feels like summer just began.  There is still a lot blooming and still a few more flowers to come.  I've been working on having more blooming towards the end of summer and going into fall.  It seems though, that a lot of the late summer bloomers don't last quite as long.  There are other flowers that seem to have been blooming for months like hardy fuchsias, agastache, hydrangeas and Monarda.  
I've also been moving lots of plants around.  For some reason that urge always seems to strike when we are having our hottest weather of the summer, which means extra watering trying to save the freshly moved plants.  I know it's not when you are supposed to move plants, but aside from the extra watering, the plants seem to do fine.

 Rose of Sharon 'Minerva'.  It seems to bloom right when the leaves decide to yellow and fall off every year.  I love the flowers, but it's not my favorite looking plant otherwise.

 Chelone or Turtlehead is looking really pretty right now.  It would probably like more water than it gets.

 Clematis 'Ville de Lyon' bloomed very late and has lots of tiny flowers this year.

 Daylily 'Ruby d'Oro'

 Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue'

 The entry garden - Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue', Fuchsia 'Pat's Dream' and Rose 'Harlow Carr'.  This rose has really prickly canes.

 Echinacea 'Green Envy'

 Dahlia

 Sedum 'Autumn Joy', Red Valerian on the right and Crocosmia, that was sent to me by Darla a couple of years ago, on the left.

 Kniphofia 'Border Ballet' is new to my garden this year.

 Sunflowers are just starting to open.

 The unknown pink rose ('Heritage'?) with Cupid's Dart behind it.

 I planted what I thought was supposed to be a small sunflower (18" high on the packet) in the raised beds.  The leaves on this are HUGE.

 It was a bit overcast when I took pictures today.  The small shrub by itself is a replacement Mexican Orange (Choysia) for the one that didn't survive the move when I divided the bed back in February.

I've started pulling annuals out of pots and thinking about what I'll plant in them for fall.  It's sad getting rid of the summer bloomers, but it is fun starting fresh with at least a few containers.  I've sown seeds for fall vegetables for the first time.  So far I've got Chard 'Bright Lights', Carrots, radishes and beets.  I plan to start some Kale and Pak Choy soon too.
All words and photos in this post are property of A Gardener in Progress.

Beautiful, like a rainbow.

When I see a rainbow or think of a rainbow, this line from Cyndi Lauper's song "True Colors" from 1986 always seems to come to my mind. A pretty song to represent such a beautiful piece of art from nature. Rebecca from Prefer to be In the Garden asked us to share rainbows from our gardens to help brighten up winter.
Just looking back through my Spring and Summer garden pictures made me feel warm and brightened my day. I think lots of us like to look back at sunny day pictures, part of the fun for me is remembering flowers I'd forgotten about and made me more anxious to see them return.
The interesting part of putting this rainbow together for me is that I thought I'd have trouble finding orange flowers, and have no problem with purple flowers. It ended up being the opposite. I used to think orange clashed too much with most colors. But once while shopping in a nursery I overheard some women and one discussing how certain colors of flowers "didn't go together". The other woman said that they are all part of nature so of course they all go together. While I don't personally think every color combination goes together it did open my eyes a bit about being less critical of orange and combining it with colors I never thought it "matched".

Here is my rainbow:

Monarda 'Jacobe Cline'

Red Breadseed Poppy

Geum 'Fire Lake'

Zinnia 'Apricot Blush'

Leopard's Bane

Sunflower

Hosta

Zinnia 'Green Envy'

Hydrangea 'Nikko Blue'

Salvia 'Black and Blue'

Muscari

Clematis 'Jackmanii superba'

Here is Cyndi Lauper singing "True Colors" in the video below: