Summer Glory ~ mid August in my country cottage garden

welcome to the front porch of our Fairfield Home & Garden

Summer has flown by and we are already on the downward side of August. Although many of the flowers in our garden have already shown their splendor, some hold out for the last hurrah.

The ironweed, butterfly bushes, plumbago, crepe myrtles, hydrangeas, rudbeckias, phlox, alliums and August Lilies, backed up by those sturdy annuals – impatiens, begonias, cosmos, asclepia, vincas, snapdragons and dusty miller – are still keeping the garden bright and colorful.

The Knockout Roses are reblooming and annual vines such as mandevilla, Cardinal Climber and Black-eyed Susan provide accents throughout the garden.

Roses that bloom through the early fall

More roses that add a pop of color and have glorious foliage

Gazebo Garden complete with my signature rusty tools, stone statues and rustic birdhouses

 

 

And now is when the foliage takes center stage: Shiso Perilla against charteuse mophead cypress, Japanese painted fern, and a multitude of lights, darks and textures can be found in the various leaves and grasses. Sum and Substance hostas serve as a backdrop for helleboro and fall-blooming perennial Ageratum. The fig tree, smoke bushes, conifers and grasses add to the show.

Hydrangea and hosta next to the DIY succulent garden bird bath that has filled out nicely

Butterflies and moths are everywhere you look now, especially on the melon rinds I leave out for them. Gold finches dot the coneflower heads as they eat the seeds. And don’t forget that garden accessories become even more important now in providing interest in your yard.

Butterflies are everywhere now!

Butterflies on melon rinds

So, when planting this fall, remember to plan for a variety of colors, sizes and shapes of leaves  and foliage to keep the party going as long as possible. Come take a little peek at the summer glory with garden accents showing in my garden this week.

front yard water feature

Stone bird bath and rustic bird house

Rusty heron & grasses

My crazy garden lady

Cool spot in the shade

Garden table with tools

Climbing vines and country chicken

Rustic bike planter

planted wheelbarrow with Lantana & Creeping Jenny

planted wheelbarrow with Lantana & Creeping Jenny

4 Responses so far.

  1. Pam says:

    Barb, your yard is absolutely beautiful! I love the gazebo and your attention to detail with your planting. Well done!

    Pam

    • Barb says:

      Many thanks Pam, for visiting and such nice compliments! So glad you enjoyed my gardening efforts. Hope you’ll come back again soon!

  2. Roberta Gonzales says:

    My daughter told me to start “following” you on Pinterest because you have great garden ideas. Thank you for sharing your beautiful yard photos. The apple cake sounds wonderful and I would love to make it for my Father-in-law. However, I am a little confused about the topping. It says to put in on before you bake and then it says to put in on after. Do I put half on before and half after? Thanks for the inspiration.
    Roberta

    • Barb says:

      Whoopsie,Roberta! My mistake in writing when I was a bit tired! The cake is baked FIRST, then shut off the oven, pull the cake out and pour the topping on and put it back into the warm oven for about 5 minutes. That way the topping bubbles and is absorbed into part of the top layer of the cake. Thanks so much for asking and bringing my attention to that, I have also fixed the recipe.Sorry for the confusion – wish I could bake you a cake! Thanks so much for checking me out on Pinterest and the website. I hope you’ll come back again soon.

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