The photos here are beautiful, thank you for sharing. These monthly photo threads and the pollinator thread are so enjoyable. What a lovely reprieve from the rest of the internet!

One is muscadette, the other is casa blanca.

PrairieMoon, I had number of Crape Myrtes and removed all but one of them..., no space and many grow bigger than you think if not killed back by cold. I had Catalpa, and Dynamite Reds. This Hopi was replaced after it developed a frost crack after a freaky warm February, then cold. We cut it down to the ground and replaced it with another Hopi. Well, the original Hopi came back from the roots and is now 1.5 stories tall, not a dwarf variety. Still have a Zuni in another area but missed the Dynamites so much, I bought a replacement for it.

This is Hopi

This one came back 100% from roots after I chopped it down, frost crack down the entire trunk. It is bigger than it looks in the pic and blooms till Halloween! And I love the pale pink.

This is Dynamite (pure indica), but being a pure indica and not one of the numerous hybrids, this one regularly had white mold issues in our HUMID summers..

Friend posted his one from her local yard. What I like about it is that it does not wanna be a big tree! Anyone know what this semi-dwarf is?

All the lilies here are beautiful! I had to give them up because they were being eaten by the lily beetles.

debra

I like my lycoris..a neighbor asked for pachysandra..I said sure..she gave me lycoris..I came out ahead 😆..I didn't crop the stones off this photo..I wanted to show someone the moss and lichen on the stones 😉..

the east side of my backyard..

the west side..

I moved 2 pots to this path yesterday..I can see them from the window of the family room..

The lycoris is beautiful!! You definitely made out well in that trade!

My favorite phlox:

Apparently crossed with this:

and the result was this beauty that I absolutely adore. :)

What’s the name of your first phlox picture? It’s beautiful!

debra

Deer ate all my phlox

Coreopsis ‘Full Moon’ – this plant splays out 360 degrees – fortunately for photos it spills nicely over a wall and is caught by sturdier plants from behind. Very nice flowers though.

Photos 3344 - 3347

Djacob, that phlox came from a good friend…. iirc, I was told that the name is German and translates to something like Country Wedding. Deer love this phlox. It’s the only phlox they eat. :p

It’s a beautiful morning – in the first photo all the Hydrangeas are ‘Fire Light’ and that is a Giant Dogwood - Cornus controversa off to the right. In the second photo all the Hydrangeas are ‘Quick Fire’.

the sidewalk needs cleaning but I took pictures anyway 😝..

Awesome photos here, I wish I had some good ones to share. I've been on vacation for almost three weeks and my gardens have been devastated. Deer, rabbits and drought conditions to where I don't even want to go out there. At least 20+ hostas have been eaten to the ground and many more half gone. This happens every year but never to the extent of this year.

I know they will mostly come back next year but will be smaller. Some days I feel like giving up on the gardens.

Oh yeah and this year they also got most of my vegetables.

Wow @Susan 7a, CT. I planted one of these this spring and I’m a little afraid of it. lol! It’s planted on my wrought iton gazebo. I’m using moonflower as a place holder until it takes over.

Old_dirt, so sorry to hear your garden took a hit while you were away……I guess the solution is to never go ANYWHERE. Not shopping, not to dinner, not to the movies…… and of course not on vacation……….of course I’m being sarcastic, it really
sucks! But I have a feeling come next spring the garden bug will hit you once again……. I hope 🤗

debra

@markey - it will be gorgeous on a gazebo! And it will take over pretty fast! The flowers are so, so beautiful 🩷

Thank you, everybody, I appreciate being part of the group :)

Jay, thanks for naming the plants so thoroughly, good food for the brain

L Clark, you lilies are lovely, once in a while I get a bloom just before freezeup, haha !

There are so many plants that don't quite make it in my northern zone, so thank you all for sharing ! And I do appreciate what I have :)

Devil's club provides a beautiful architectural background in my 3/4 acre garden

(of which I control very little)

And the native elderberry are everywhere, it's on the list to do major pruning as they march forward too vigorously

And the watermelon berries are everywhere also ! One year my husband made beer with these, the flavor didn't really stand up but they are a squirt of freshness when just snacked on

My prize bumble bee caught my ear, sorry out of focus - I tried like 10 shots and he was a moving target

Sanguisorba officinalis has become too vigorous and spreading but I still love it

My blue area looks better in real life

Hoping these Joe Pye Weed will get a move on , they tend to wait too long

Speaking of geraniums taking over the world, that happens here and the bumble bees love them

Lopseed, Phryma leptostachya. It's in the lamiales and has it's own family Phrymaceae.

Silky Aster.

Hoary Mountain Mint

My 1st attempt at growing Pale Corydalis, Capnoides sempervirens

Sweet Pea 'Cupani'.

Peach Canna

Yellow Canna

Michigan Lily,

A grouping of species, Moss Verbena, Hybrid Verbena, Illinois Bundleflower, Small White Morning Glory, Partidge Pea, Sensative Plant, Holy Basil and the weed 3 Seeded Mercury, that's filled with holes from those phantom flea beetles that I never see.

Debra you started the month off beautifully and everyone has followed your lead!

So dry here!

Daylily Big Bird is well named, the flowers are huge.

Veronicastrum virginicum on its 2nd year.

Lilium lancifolium

Phlox

Crocosmia

Kirengeshoma palmata

Persicaria Firetail

Ligularia The Rocket wishes it would rain.

Daylily Lavender Blue Baby finishing up with Aralia Sun King.

Through a window – Joe Pye fronted by Quick Fire – a bee paradise.

This is a sketchy August photo but, I ran into this plant the other day while weeding in the woods (oxymoron) – I had no idea what it was and now I do. It serves me right for not taking a photo first - grabbed a few handfuls and it grabbed me back – beggar's lice, sticktight or stickseed. Got it all over meself and it was tough to get off.

Everyone's garden looks so wonderful! Thanks for sharing. Mine is a hot, dry, yellowing, weedy mess for the most part. The shady spots are dry and weedy, although they are still green lol.

lindalana, lovely clematis - I love these bell-shaped ones. Funny I almost cropped out that out-of-focus bloom but left it in for some perspective for the deer. Mine is Rooguchi, and while the main flush has finished I still get a few blooms here and there.

party music your phlox is wonderful, especially that first one. My phlox are actually doing well - tried to get a photo last evening but it was too breezy and they wouldn't stand still!

Oh, lindalana, what is the name of that bright green hosta with the darker center? The one in the photo under the photo of your ligularia? It's beautiful. I am such a sucker for variegated hostas!

Thanks for sharing your gardens everyone! I love to see what everyone else is growing!

:)

Dee

Raymond, I love that Joe Pye Weed / Quickfire combo. How tall is the JPW?

Peren.all - Your Veronicastrum is so tall! What a great patch of Lilium. Beautiful!

Jay - I love 'Michigan Lily' Yours is a very large bloom.

Lat - I have elderberry - not native - and it gets big fast too. I cut mine down to the ground this spring and shocked at how much it's grown alraedy.

prairiemoon - thanks - every year I fantasize about which plant will reach the roof first - the Joe Pye in that photo is at least 7 feet. Here's a photo from the front side taken July 16.

Oh, wanted to post these photos! So this is reseeded rudbeckia triloba, and in the back is some rudbeckia.... Herbstonne, I think. I usually let the triloba reseed (which it certainly does!) and then rip it out where it's in the way in sprin

(note the #$%! sassafras which has been cut, sprayed, covered with cardboard and woodchips, grown through that, cut and sprayed a few more times.... ugh!!)

You can see the Herbstonne on the right here

My plan for this season was never put into action, but hopefully next spring I can do it. This garden is in a front corner of my property, near the street. Used to be quite shady. Then the electric company came through and cleared out the corner along the street, under the wires, which, while I desperately miss my shade, needed to be done. It was mostly a weedy mess of sassafras trees (ugh the bane of my gardening existence!), a dying old cedar, and an oak that somehow appeared and grew way too tall and shaded my veggie garden, all covered in grapevine, bittersweet, and some poison ivy. So I wasn't too sad to see it go.

However, I am now completely exposed and naked to the neighborhood lol!

(Where that white pot above is where the line of rudbeckia stands now, parallel to the street)

I DO have plans to plant some shrubs there, but figured while waiting for them to grow big enough for privacy, I would just move a bunch of rudbeckia seedlings there every spring, and that would be a nice bit of privacy. after all, the stand above is over 6 feet tall

But as usual, I never got around to it. However, this row of rubeckia is right along where my original garden ends, so it's still a nice little wall of privacy. And hopefully I can get my shrubs planted this fall and put Operation Rudbeckia into effect.

Although, truth be told, I'm rethinking and wondering if I should put them in pots, or even just kind of leave them where they are - I can foresee a future of constantly weeding the shrub border to pull out little rudbeckia seedlings lol.

Also, not a perennial, but I am quite pleased with my impatiens this year. I am so happy they developed some that are resistant to that mildew that hit a few years ago. This is a rather lousy picture but the impatiens are doing well and really pop in the evening.

Raymond, that burry plant you ran into is Enchanter's Nightshade, Circaea canadensis. Stickseed, Hackelia is much worse.

Hi Jay - thanks - but I must ask if you are sure - I ran that photo thru one of those 'identify apps' - I use PlantNet. I know they are not foolproof but seem generally reliable.

On wiki re Hackelia virginiana of particular similarity was the emphasis on " The seeds are burs, and are very sticky" and "difficult to remove from clothing." I also compared as many other web photos as I could. I looked at photos of Circaea canadensis and it does not look the same. Thanks Ray

Hi Raymond. You are correct. Sorry about that. The burs of both plants look very similar, but on Hackelia the burs are all on the same side of the stem, and they have short stalks. The leaves of both plants are similar too. Maybe I forgot what Stickseed burs look like because it was too painful to remember Lol.

Jay - Thanks so much - when I came out of the woods I was covered - any cottony clothing was especially covered except my twill work pants - go figure. I also had short sleeves on but was paying particular attention for poison ivy - this stuff caused an immediate rash but after an alcohol rub all was good. Took a while to pick the burs off.

Enchanter’s Nightshade — what a pretty name! And it’s a pretty little plant right up to the point that it sets seed/burs. It showed up here a few years ago and I now have a long-haired cat who manages to get some stuck in her fur daily. :)

Well that was an education about what to avoid in the woods! Thanks guys!

debra

• Dee, my clematis I grew from seed, viorna and ianthina. I think there were more I started but did not transfer with me to new home
• . I love roguchi! Am thinking you are talking about Goodness Gracious hosta? She is a stunner in every garden.
• Believe I have thalictrum delavayi and Rochebrunianum, am thinking delavayi is bigger flowers , right? So nice to see everyone's perennials, thank you so much for posting!

Tickseed is worse than Enchanter's Nightshade. The seeds take a long time to remove. A wire scouring pad works good at scraping them off my clothes. My socks often get covered with them. Sometimes I get whole branches stuck to me. I should buy some twill clothes.

Enchanter's Nightshade isn't a member of the nightshade family Solanaceae. It's in the Sundrop/Evening Primrose family Onagraceae.

@Heruga (7a NJ) Where did you purchase your seed for the codonopsis. I bought some from Plant World, but they did not germinate. Might have been bad seed or a bad gardener. Any hints or tips appreciated.

@SeniorBalloon I bought them from amazon. They are from a korean seed supplier and the package has korean written on it. Just type in codonopsis lanceolata and it'll show. I'm pretty sure bad seed. I didn't do anything special, I winter sowed it and repotted all the seedlings into individual pots after 2 months. I planted one of them in the ground that same year in the fall and it just took off this year.

@SeniorBalloon, Jellito Seeds offers 5 kinds of Codonoosis seeds. I bought Codonopsis pilosula seeds from them and I had good germination.

Jay, did your condonopsis sir I’ve the winter? I’m reading it’s only hardy to zero degrees F.

debra

@lindalana 5b Chicago

Re: Believe I have thalictrum delavayi and Rochebrunianum, am thinking delavayi is bigger flowers , right?

Before I posted the photo of Thalictrum above I went back thru my planting notes to find the species and all I found in the notes was ‘Thalictrum’ planted in 2015. So, I did some searches, some reading, and decided it was Thalictrum delavayi. Then after reading your post I looked up Thalictrum rochebrunianum and went down a bunny trail trying to figure out which one I had. Well, color me ‘connused’, which is one step up from confused - they look awfully similar! As an aside, I found some 16 year old discussions from Gardenweb that raised the same question – unfortunately the included photos were just numbers! I only have the one species (whichever) but, regarding my T. - I’m leaning towards delavayi – and both are lovely.

Debra, Codonopsis pilosula is hardy here. I got 1 plant by mail order a few years ago and it survived through a few winters. It was in too much shade and I transplanted it to a sunnier spot, and it died unfortinately. I now have 4 small plants in a pot that I winter sowed last fall with the seeds from jellito. The other Codonopsis species offered by jellito might have different temperature requirements. I was interested in Codonopsis for it's medicinal benefits. It's one of the main Chinese herbal plants. The roots are the part used for medicine. I prefer medicinal plants that have leaves that can be harvested, but since I hear Codonopsis is somewhat agressive, I can root prune it and harvest at the same time.

Lol. Me too. The only reason I know because I grew them from seed, thinking Jelitto and delavayi is white version 😆. It is also blooms aquilegiifolium first , then white one and now Rochebrunianum is shining.

Debra, codonopsis hardiness depends on species variety I believe. I grew up one or other way back when trading seeds all over the world was not a problem.

I'm enjoying everyones flowers here.

Apios americana, Hopness

Apios americana

Halberd Leaved Rose Mallow, Hibiscus leavis

Liatris pycnostachya and Partridge Pea, Chamaecrista fasciculata

Canada Tick-trefoil, Desmodium canadense

Wild Senna, Senna hebecarpa

A bumblebee magnet

Flowering Spurge, Euphorbia corollata

Cowpen Daisy, Verbesina encelioides

Boneset, Eupatorium perfoliatum

Kalm's Hawkweed, Hieracium kalmii/undulatum

This hawkweed has an unusual habit. It's adapted to growing amongst tall plants. It's multiple stems can grow several feet to reach the sun.

Oxypetalum solanoides.

I love how the pods point straight up. The succulent stapeliads/ceropegiads do the same thing.

Opuntia cespitosa and White Prickly Poppy, Argemone albiflora.

Has anyone grown Prickly Poppy? The leaves on my plants turn yellow after blooming. I'm wondering if that's normal?

Wow! I meant to catch this one before it got so many posts - oops!

Here is a summer blooming azalea, 'See You in September'. It usually blooms in August. 🤣

It was Jerry Van De Sande who crossed it.

Here is a Lychnis called 'Once in A Vermillion'. I'm sticking with the long cultivar names!

Lastly, Caesalpinia gilliesii, with one of the good knotweeds in the BG.

I know it isn't Taurus, but I've lost track of which one it was. The Clethra is the rareish American x Mexican hybrid one, that has been totally hardy on this south slope.

Jay I'm impressed by your codonopsis. Both that you've grown an Asian plant (har har har) and that you've kept them alive. I've periodically tried them all the way back to Debbie Scheuchenko offering them in the mid 2000s at the late great 'Lazy SS Farms' nursery, and the damn things just won't persist for me. They either die in summer or don't make it through winter.

PS - sorry I don't have time to read thru whole thread!

No problem David, many of us don’t have the time to read very long posts.

debra

This isn’t a pretty flower post. It’s very hot outside – there is not much energy for heavy gardening. I was cleaning up some debris when I found a lost treasure in really deep shade that I forgot was there – Hosta sieboldiana ‘Elegans’. It’s under the Ilex – there are 3 of them under there holding their own.

This is why I didn't see them - they are hardy visible

a little closer -

and when I got close enough

there are 3

raymond, you’ll have to uncover those beauties next year. Elegans is a great show off hosta.

debra

Debra – thanks – I now remember that I had some divisions from the mother ‘Elegans’ years ago that I planted there when everything else was smaller. But I must also thank you because in a discussion earlier this year you provided a Mark Zilis description of ‘Elegans’, so whenever I see big Hosta leaves now that I think are ‘Elegans’ – I count the veins. Yes, next spring is already starting to look busy.

Canna Cannova rose with Very Van Gogh veronica and snap dragons

Beautiful pictures! Now August is ending soon and our gardens are in full swing

Lady in Red rose

Dahlia Thomas Edison

2 Sunflower 🌻 plants in pots

Tithonia and tiger butterfly

Spider plant and pentas

Dahlia heatwave

Dahlia Blue Boy

Obediant Plant, Physostegia virginiana

A beautiful hummingbird plant. Obediant plant can be very agressive in moist soil. Then it becomes Disobediant Plant.

Lavender Hyssop, Agastache foeniculum

Spotted Horse Mint, Monarda punctata

This is an annual and many native newbees get hysterical when last year's thriving Horse Mint doesn't return. Monarda citriodora is a very similar , but a more colorful cousin.

Ashy Sunflower, Helianthus mollis

It really lightens up an area, and it's been blooming for months in partial shade.

Virgin's Bower, Clematis virginiana climbing Shadbush, Amelanchier canadensis

Spikenard, Aralia racemosa

A native shade garden with Missouri Ironweed, Vernonia missouriensis and Wingstem, Verbesina alternifolia. Some Verbesina species like V. alternifolia can also have an opposite leaf arrangement. That could cause it to be misidentified as Verbesina occidentalis. Then the flower structure would have to be checked to know which species. There are some Woodland Sunflowers in here. The deer have been eating them, but it looks like they left a few that will bloom. It's not Helianthus divaricatus, which is the true Woodland Sunflower. It might be Helianthus pauciflorus. I'll know for sure when I look at the flowers.

Wood Nettle, Laportea canadensis.

The lower white flowers are the male flowers, and the green flowers on the top are the female flowers. It has a sting that feels more like an intense itch. Like you have 10 mosquito bites on every one of your knuckles.

Great Purple Hyssup, Agastache scrophularifolia. Im tempted to grow the yellow flowered Agastache nepetifolia. This plant pictured is in too much shade.

This just appeared. I need an ID? It has a woody, brown/grey stem? Walnut? Ash?

Native Mint, Mentha canadensis.

My taste buds think it's the perfect mint to mix with chocolate. Spearmint and Peppermint have a bad reputation for being so agressive. I grew all 3 mints together and the native Mentha canadensis was by far the most agressive of the 3 species. I don't mind it, and I periodically thin it out. It thrives, while Spearmint and Peppermint look sad from growing in a foreign country. If you use a lot of mint then canadensis will deliver.

We are turning the corner into fall almost, yellow leaves beginning to blow...

This watermelon berry caught my eye thismorning, the red berries have darkened to black and the moose left it alone. These probably should be weeded out since they're too prolific but I really like them

.

A too close for comfort devils club that I've been too 'lenient' on :))

These veronicastrums are white, I don't know why they might look pinkish in the photo

Just sneaking in an annual, it's a nice color