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Although this could very well be a picture of me finding a new treasure at a favorite nursery, it's actually an illustration by David Catrow for a children's book called Plantzilla.

Friday, August 25, 2017

Late Summer In The Outlaw Garden

While the days are still warm, they are becoming noticeably  shorter, lawns are turning a bit less green (okay brown) and most of the perennial floral fireworks have fizzled.  Annuals are still blooming like there's no tomorrow but some plants are looking a bit tired.

Fall is only 28 days away. Summer is never long enough is it?  Albizia julibrissin  (Mimosa) continues to pump out pom-pom blooms and throw them all over the ground and into the pond.

Clerodendrum bungei 'Cashmere Bouquet' likes to spread everywhere but is forgiven because of it's late and fragrant blooms.  The bush with white flowers is Clerodendrum trichotomum but it's different from the other two in my garden.  The calyxes of this one are white to pink and the leaves are furrier and lighter in color. It's also just blooming now (along with C.t. 'Carnival' (dark pink calyxes, variegated widerfolaige) while the other one, is just about done.

 Soon the hardy cyclamen all over the garden will be full of blooms.

The first Euonymus europaeus to show it's colorful seeds is always this one from the former Heronswood Nursery.   

Seems like the Colchicum autumnale are a bit later than usual this year as they're usually going strong on the 27th. The first are just poking their noses above ground.

Plumbago auriculata looking fresh.  Too bad I don't really have room for this sweet thing. Surprisingly, it continues to live even though it's crammed between a bunch of other plants.

In the greenhouse, an opuntia bloom.

It's been a good year for tomatoes!


Musa 'Ai Ai' which pouted  (looked quite dead) when the greenhouse door was left open overnight this winter has finally made a comeback.

Abutilons continue.

 Billardiera Longiflora is especially heavy with fruit.

Arum italicum berries.
 Physalis alkekengi

Paulownia tomentosa trees are heavy with seed pods and the raccoons visit the fig tree nightly for snacks.  Spiders are growing larger, their webs more visible as mornings begin to spangle them with dewy moisture. Change is in the air.


Thank goodness for the stalwart evergreens!
I hope you get out and enjoy the rest of this summer to the fullest!  I get to work at Jungle Fever on Saturday afternoon.  Hooray!  Happy weekend all!

17 comments:

  1. My Arum italicum always is huge but never gets those kind of great seedheads. Not sure why. And the trees we dug out last spring were my Euonymous europaeus from Heronswood. Hated to see them go but too many disease issues. Lots of lovely things still happening in your garden. Love that view from above. What are the red berries in the background of the first photo?

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    1. The red bits in the first photo are Euonymus europaeus. I remember your post about removing yours.

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    2. Mine ended up in too much shade to ever get more than a few of those fabulous pods.

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  2. Some of your plants may be tired but your garden has more floral color than mine, despite our relatively mild summer. I looked into that pretty pink-flowered Clerodendrum but I guess its appetite for heavy drinking rules it out for me. Enjoy your weekend nursery gig!

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  3. Oh my goodness, what a variety of plants that I've never seen before and what a wonderful blue hue of your plumbago. WOW!

    Thanks for sharing your lovely garden ~ FlowerLady

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  4. Yes, you can see that summer is winding down. Your garden still has some nice blooms and greens. Have a fun weekend.

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  5. Plenty of good-looking plants still in your garden. Mine is basically scorched earth.

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  6. Our garden is still producing a few blooms and a mostly green lawn for the raccoons to dig up. We got a very big water bill this month. Construction is beginning next door, so dust is flying in the breeze. How many days now with nothing but .02 in of rain?

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    1. Too many! Oh well, we're used to summer drought.

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  7. Days are certainly getting shorter, but since I order spring bulbs on the internets, I'm excited about autumn arriving. I once had great interest in growing Billardiera Longiflora for those amazing fruit. Since its not readily available in nurseries, I forgot all about (I'm easily distracted) till now, when I saw this amazing display in your garden. That and the Arum seeds make a fabulous combo.

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  8. Hmmm, I don't see that middle aged sag you mentioned. Everything looks loverly! My Euonymus has a few of those lovely seeds too, but I can't manage to get a good photo of them. Is that Opuntia a tiny one? (can't tell from your photo) The bloom is so petite! (but vibrant). Wish I could pop into Jungle Fever and say hi!

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  9. Looking great! "Fall" won't really arrive here for a while. We're waiting for the cooler temps and the resurgence of blooms that arrive with them.

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  10. Those Billardiera fruits are really striking! The Arum also. I love Plumbago, ours have begun blooming as well.

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  11. I could not resist brining home a Chinese Lantern plant (never grew one before) but too afraid to put it in the ground. I have it in a pot on the deck. Very cool plant.

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  12. You have so many gorgeous plants in your garden, it must be huge!

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  13. Your brick path looks so tantilising, I would love to stroll down it. I rather like the late August garden it still has a lot to offer. I love your albizia.

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Thanks so much for taking the time to comment! I love to hear your thoughts.