My garden is in transition. These are all late summer blooms with fall Anemones, Cimicifuga, Tricyrtis and mums all budding up but not yet flowering. The August stars have been a few new plants among old favorites that have kept me engaged watching their progress.
I fell in love Gladiolus murielae when I saw it in a friend's garden last summer. I bought a dozen bulbs to try it out in my garden. I'm going to attempt to overwinter my bulbs and will definitely add more next spring.


My two Agapanthus 'Galaxy Blue' made it through the winter, though one is much happier than the other. The plant that is getting a bit more sun has 5 flowers while its partner only has one. But even one of these blossoms is a beauty.

From the way the flowers emerge between a pair of leaves to the way the spent flowers twist themselves up, I've been fascinated by Belcamda chinensis 'Freckle Face.' Plus it's a butterfly magnet.

My Phlox paniculata 'Jeana' got beaten up when I knocked this lantern over on them earlier in the season. But they've bounced back.

'Jeana' is tall and willowy with heads comprised of small flowers compared to most Phlox varieties.

Geranium 'Perfect Storm' is a new purchase. Initially I thought of putting it with the Phlox, but eventually planted a pair of them with a pair of Geranium 'Crystal Lake' if you can picture that.

Astilbe chinensis 'Delft Lace' is a mid-size Astilbe that performs well for me. But it never looks, to me, like the picture that all the nurseries use in their catalogs.

Hosta 'El Nino' is one of the rare Hostas that I let flower.

I have big patches of Heuchera 'Brownies' all over the garden. Neither the flowers nor the foliage is showy but it is a problem-free Heuchera. Plus the flower stems are very tall making them useful for bouquets.

Great Blue Lobelia is one of the few natives that I've planted that is doing well. I'm hoping the flowers last until the yellow and white fall flowers around them open.

Visit May Dreams Gardens to see what's blooming in a host of other gardens.