Hello! I haven't posted pictures in a while, but I was just out this evening and took some. Might be a little soft focus as it was fairly low light. These areas struck me as highlights this evening.

First is my new roadside garden which has been a highlight for me throughout the seasons.

Fall of 2020 our road was torn up, we worked with our town. Now instead of having a ditch in our front yard, they installed a catch basin (manhole cover under the birdbath) which allowed me to create this garden. It was entirely unexpected and has been so much fun. After decades of gardening I felt I was able to nail this one on the first try! This is in its fourth season now and I don't think I've moved any plants yet! LOL!

This picture shows how it blends with the existing front slope garden.

Here's a shot of the little border I have under my Japanese maples.

Lastly, we had about 12 large oaks taken down last year (never fear, we live next to a 100 acre wood full of oaks!) and that has opened up possibilities to add to my way back border, so I'm excited to start working more back there. Still lots of thinking at the moment. This is one area from back there. It's a very large area overall, and there is a rock ledge to the left of this picture (now finally exposed) that I don't want to hide so need large, but not high shrubs/plants. Let the games begin! Always excited to have new opportunities in the yard.

So glad to see you back @Thyme2dig NH Zone 5.

Incredible plantings!

Always excited to have new opportunities in the yard.

Double ditto!

Oh wow! those are some gorgeous pictures. My garden can’t compete but it does have naked ladies.

Echinaceas…

Mazerolm, I am in green envy of your echinacea collection !!

Thyme2dig, your gardens are rather amazing and relaxing to the eye!

Rogue, those liatris are quite something else that's for sure!

Rouge, I've tried posting photos here, but they wont upload. 😟

I have a few toad lilies:

And our native devil's club is always striking to me

I'll try to post again before the month is out if we have a dry day !

@Jay 6a Chicago are you having trouble uploading pics in this thread only or for all threads in the forum?

@djacob Z6a SE WI that hydrangea (standard form?) is a stunner! Is it a Limelight? Does it always perform this well each August? (Be sure to post the picture in the "Hydrangea" forum).

We've got upload.

Patridge Pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata, Brown Eyed Susun, Rudbeckia triloba, Nettle Leaved Vervain, Verbena urticaifolia.

Great Blue Lobelia, Lobelia sifilitica, False Sunflower, Heliopsis helianthoides.

Tall Bellflower, Campanulastrum americanum

Asclepias incarnata subsp. pulchra. Subsp. pulchra has wider leaves and the whole plant is covered in soft pubescence.

Verbesina encelioides, Cowpen Daisy. Ocimum tenuiflorum, Holy Basil

Rouge, it is a limelight and usually looks like this in August. I made a post in the hydrangea and tree forum about 10 days ago . I have noticed that some of the top flower heads are browning a bit. Most likely the recent heat we have been having.

debra

This is the timd if year when the perrenials are looking a little tired but the annuals shine.

Cleome, Sparkler 2.0 mix grown from seed.

Zinnias -Zahara Double Raspberry Ripple

Blue Horizon Ageratum with Roald Dahl Rose and Fragrant Angel coneflower.

Here are two photos showing a gentian and dwarf globe thistle combo I'm enjoying:

My red lilies are blooming - the grouping has shrunk, so I'll try to pay more attention to them and give them more room to breath:

"Sunshine Daydream" Helianthus

"Baby Joe" Pye Weed

"Happy Days" Helianthus

'markay', I love those "raspberry" zinnias. I havent grown Zs in years. I cant exactly remember why...I think I was turned off by the foliage getting eaten ("Earwigs"?)?

Anyways I think I will put it on my "to plant" list for 2025.

Rouge21, this was my 4th year in a row growing them which really speaks tp how much I love them because I’m usually one who wants to try the next thing!

another highlight right now are my Millenium Alliums.

Blue River II Hardy Hibiscus:

rouge that hibiscus is GORGEOUS! Lol I think I asked you about it last year. I really need to make an actual list of stuff instead of thinking I will be able to remember everything I want.

Markay, yes, loving those raspberry zinnias. I usually grow zinnias for cutting. The Profusions are shorter, aren't they? I will have to find a spot for some.

Beautiful photos everyone. I'm not EVEN going to post any photos of my garden lol. Have not been able to get out there for the last 3-4 weeks so yeah, no, lol. Plus I seem to have had a sudden mole invasion. Sigh. It's always something.

lat62, what is that devil's club you speak of? Very intriguing....

:)

Dee

You are the best @diggerdee zone 6 CT :).

It is my partner's favourite plant in our garden.

(When in "full" bloom, every day I go out and pick up all the fallen flowers and pull off the browning spent blooms on the plant....a good 25 or more each day and yet it pumps out the flowers...more than enough to compensate. And I will expect that the last flower will show itself in early OCTOBER)

Wow! That hibiscus is gorgeous!

Dee, those zinnias are low growing and the foliage is always healthy.

Thanks Markay!

rouge, how old is the hibiscus? I planted a hibiscus for my daughter about three years ago and it is slowly gaining in size and bloom production. It seems like they are like daylilies - the blooms seem to last only for a day - is that how it's supposed to be lol? I don't have any experience with hibiscus so I'm not sure. Well, actually now that I think of it, that's a lie. As a beginner gardener decades ago I planted a Lord Baltimore but it got done in by insects after two seasons, and then I planted a swamp hibiscus in a customer's garden that never seemed to take off (and then she moved so I have no idea if it ever did lol)

Anyway, I keep telling my non-gardener daughter that it will eventually grow and bloom more. Your last post gives me hope! AND I have indeed started an actual list lol. Blue River is at the top!

:)

Dee

Hey Dee!

It has been in the garden for now 10 years.

And yes the blooms basically last for only a day or two depending on the weather but as I mentioned the plant keeps pushing out flowers each day for weeks and weeks.

Thanks rouge! That's awesome. Something to look forward to!

:)

Dee

Not mine. Hydrangea aspera (I think) spotted this week.

Love the stone wall as well :)

diggerdee - Thanks for asking, devil's club is described here:

https://www.fs.usda.gov/wildflowers/plant-of-the-week/oplopanax_horridus.shtml

It's definitely not for everybody in a home perennial garden, rather its 'horridus' thorns are lamented by hikers ! but native Alaskans and my forager friends use it medicinally - one day I will tackle peeling the stems and making a salve for my arthritis but for now I do purchase it and I think it helps :))

I love it for its architecturally reaching stems, white flowers, pure red berries that the birds love and it just grows naturally at the edges of my property.

Anyway, August isn't over yet so I took a few photos recently:

Enjoying the color of this geranium:

I think I will squeeze in this picture of a recently blooming phlox (before it becomes September)

Shockwave back in mid May...love the bright colour:

And here is the plant today:

Wow rouge!! Love that Shockwave!! 😍

Here are my flowers. Mostly annuals

beautiful photos everyone! Such lovely gardens and so much wonderful color!

lat62, thanks for that follow-up on the devil's club. It's a very intriguing plant! The leaves remind me of a maple tree. I'm not sure I would want a plant in my garden though, whose parts are used for fishhooks lol! Yikes.

I was curious for more images though - a photo of a full plant - and so I looked around and some of the photos are spectacular. Leaves bigger than people's heads! But lol those close-ups only reinforced my fear of its thorns so I will admire from afar. Very afar lol.

Thanks!

:)

Dee

August usually signals salvia season, but the star of the gardens this year have been the sphaeralceas. S.Ambigua has grown into an enormous clump (as all the malvaceae seem wont to do), with s.coccinea and incana showing promise. I love the hot corals, salmons and raspberry colours.

Blue River is at the top!

Hey @diggerdee zone 6 CT, the picture of the BRII shown in this thread was taken August 16. Its very first flowers happened on July 27 and I noticed this morning possibly the last lonely flower was showing.