Summer Glory ~ mid August in my country cottage garden

• By Barb
• Posted in Amazing flower pairings, Bird sanctuaries, baths, feeders and more, Things that inspire me in the garden
• On August 22, 2012
• 4 Comments.

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.

 

 

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.

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.

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.