Thursday, August 22, 2013

Late Summer at its most Beautiful (Part 1)


As each summer ages, it mellows and becomes golden. Colors seem to become more vibrant, while ornamental grasses and flowers gone-to-seed become soft, billowy clouds. 

We should all aspire to age so gracefully.

Sneezeweed, Helenium 'Feugo' ( Mariachi Series)


Rudbeckia hirta 'Irish Eyes' (Self-seeding Annual)

Mountain Fleeceflower, Persicaria


Ornamental Oregano, Origanum laevigatum 'Herrenhauser' 

Burnet, Sanguisorbia officinallis 'Red Thunder' (Rosaceae)



Agastache 'Blue Boa'

Agastache 'Blue Boa' in the middle distance

Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia


White flowering Nicotiana



Echinacea

Great Blue Lobelia or Cardinal Flower, Lobelia syphilitica and Lobelia syphilitica 'Alba'

Great Blue Lobelia or Cardinal Flower, Lobelia syphilitica and Lobelia syphilitica 'Alba'

White Swamp Milkweed, Asclepias incarnata 'Ice Ballet'

Spider Flower, Cleome (Annual) 

Fountain Grass, Pennisetum

These pictures were taken at Edwards Garden and a local area park.

23 comments:

  1. You have taken the most common of summer plants -- milkweed and sneezeweed and fleeceflower and all the other late summer bloomers, and made them look gloriously elegant. Your eye and your camera are talented!

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  2. Gorgeous photos! If only I could age so gracefully! Late summer is filled with golden light and such wonderful colors; it is an experience to hold on to till next year.

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  3. Love, love, love your blog! Could gaze at it for hours! Paula

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  4. My goodness, Jennifer, you still have so much gorgeous color!
    Ours is quickly waning, and giving way to some brightly colored leaves.

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  5. The end of summer looks wonderful over there, our summers end has more of a dried out look to it. Still, spring is on it's way. Lovely shots of the gardens.

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  6. Jennifer...you are so talented! Your photos are stunning! That fleeceflower is fantastic! I am going to add some of these plants to my August blooming list. I hope you have a fantastic weekend lady!!!

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  7. What a fantastic garden for late summer flowers, some good ideas here for combining plants, thanks for sharing.

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  8. Gorgeous... thanks for sharing some really great ideas to brighten up the end of summer!

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  9. The last photo has such beautiful colors peeking through the grasses. Gorgeous. And the photo of the garden (above the echinacea) is stunning. I would love to see this garden in person! So beautifully maintained. "We should all aspire to age so gracefully." I think part of the beauty of autumn is the way the light changes. It's not as harsh as the summer sun. Perhaps as we get older we should change from light bulbs to candle light! ;)

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  10. Summer was grand! Have a nice weekend

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  11. Your photos are amazing, as always. And what a stunning late-summer show. I've noticed time and time again that the flowers age a little differently in your neck of the woods. Here, in the heat, they get very bleached out by August. Where you are, the colors are still vibrant and plants still look perky. If only the winters weren't so long, I'd consider making the move to a colder climate.

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  12. Such beautiful pictures, and so much still looking good as summer winds down.
    Btw, since you posted about Monarda I have been seeing them everywhere. Clearly, I just needed you to open my eyes to them!

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  13. I'm taking your photos out to my garden to show them how a garden is supposed to look in late summer. Their performance is less than stellar at the moment - and the week away with no water didn't help. But what a trip. The gardens we saw were brilliant - highlights were a garden called Domaine Joy de Lotbiniere where we had a breakfast and tour - thousands of plants were numbered - and it was exquisitely cared for - and in Montreal - Mosaiculture. Interesting seeing Les Quatre Vents again - definitely some thing to talk about in person. Next year the GWA is in Pittsburg - they showed us a blurb on Fallingwater by F.L. Wright. - I think that's enough to get Mr. Conroy to go.
    B.

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  14. Color, style, texture, variety all make this a summer to remember in that garden. Thanks for the inspiration, Jennifer.

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  15. Gorgeous photos, Jennifer! These flowers look completely unaffected by the heat. I love the formality of the boxwood gardens.

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  16. Just gorgeous late summer flowers...the one without an ID looks like a Red Burnet.

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  17. Jennifer girl these are exquisite pictures of such beautiful late summer plants .. I could roam this area forever!
    I actually bought some ornamental grasses and a nice little Russian sage yesterday .. they were on sale with the garden centers trying to clear out their stock .. also a few Autumn Joy for those areas that are just too dry and drive us crazy trying to water ? haha .. sedums are sanity savers ? LOL
    Hoping for cooler weather SOON so I can divide that hellebore and get it in the mail to you!!!
    Joy : )

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  18. I love the garden at this time of year - and your pictures illustrate the late summer garden beautifully.

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  19. Once again, your Helenium take my breath away. Everything looks incredibly lush and happy.

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  20. Wondrous! Your end of summer is so colorful and so very cheery. Love it!

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  21. Preciosas todas las flores, espectaculares, como siempre las fotografías!!
    Un abrazo grande.

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  22. Beautiful end-of-summer blooms! My garden is fading a bit now, but I do love my black-eyed Susans!! Such cheery little faces :) Enjoy the last of this wonderful summer .... Wendy

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