Late Summer Gardening: What’s Growing in Week One of August

Published on by Catherine

My visiting family have all returned home and our house is quiet again. The garden has been receiving some much-needed attention – it’s amazing the difference deadheading and pulling annual weeds make! While we haven’t had a heatwave, we did enjoy a couple of pleasantly warm days this week. Hooray! Today I’m heading out to a lunchtime Family History event and the current rainfall means I can happily enjoy the the indoor activities without feeling guilty about neglecting the garden on a good gardening day!

Here’s my Six on Saturday peek at what’s blooming in the garden this week.

Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’ is one of the more successful dahlias and has flowered again this year after being lifted and stored, over several years. It has plenty of buds and although the leaves are damaged, the flowers have so far survived with only a little bit of damage. How I wish I could say that about some of the others that have been mercilessly nibbled.

  • Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’
  • Dahlia ‘Carolina Moon’

Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Double Dutch Rose’. Most of my first round of seeds did not germinate this year, it was a disappointment, but after a few weeks I had a second attempt and they were more successful. However, I didn’t have many Cosmos ‘Double Dutch Rose’ seeds left, but some of those germinated. It’s a particularly lovely Cosmos, and even though I said I was giving up sowing seeds, (my sister often reminds me that I’ve said that many times) you’ll probably find me browsing through seed packets before the end of the year!

Cosmos ‘Double Dutch Rose’

Hydrangea arborescens ‘Pink Annabelle’. One of my friends popped in this week while my husband and I were working in the garden. I was happy to down-tools for a while and enjoy her company. We sat in the sunshine in my little hidden corner beside ‘Pink Annabelle’ and she asked for a cutting. I think the stems will be ready to take semi-ripe cuttings in a week or two. The first photo is of some blooms at the back of the shrub, not fully open yet, gently backlit and growing under the canopy of the lilac tree. The second photo is the front, where the flowers catch the sun and are more advanced.

  • Hydrangea ‘Pink Annabelle’
  • Hydrangea ‘Pink Annabelle’

Hydrangea macrophylla ‘Lanarth White’ is the complete opposite of the one above. The flowers are much larger than average lacecap flowers and absolutely gorgeous. I bought it last year and although it was a large plant, it didn’t flower. It’s meant to be good for cold, exposed, and seaside locations. That’s here, so it should do well!

Hydrangea ‘Lanarth White’

Mystery Hydrangea. This red hydrangea adds vibrant colour to the study border with its dark red blooms. Its name has been long lost, and none of the reds I’ve found online have a familiar ring. I adore the dark green, brown-edged leaves and dark stems. In the evening, the colour looks like a dark burgundy. It’s a hydrangea with a touch of drama.

Hydrangea

Allium sphaerocephalon, otherwise known as the drumstick allium, has been flowering reliably for several years. Although they’re strong plants they struggle with the wind here, and I’ve had to add supports for the clumps to grow through – otherwise, they end up with their faces in the ground. The first photo was taken in a slightly shaded area, and on an overcast day. The next two were taken the following day when the sun was shining strongly. Both were backlit but with vastly different results.

  • Allium sphaerocephalon
  • Sweetie shop background colours
  • Also known as the Drumstick Allium

Six on Saturday is hosted by Jim of Garden Ruminations. Be sure to follow the link to find more garden photographs from lovely people, all posting six photographs of flowers and plants of all types from many places in the world.

That’s my six photo subjects for this week; it’s nice to be back posting again after my two-week break – though it was really lovely to have family here again, filling the house with fun and laughter. Enjoy your weekend wherever you are!

Catherine 😊

21 thoughts on “Late Summer Gardening: What’s Growing in Week One of August”

  3. A beautiful dahlia Catherine! Mine have all been nibbled too, although earwigs seem to be the lesser problem…. not sure what it is that eats them but they only appear to be active at night when I can’t check! The hydrangeas are also lovely – especially that dark red one. Yes, dramatic is the right word, and regal.

    Hope you have some warm sunshine this week!

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    1. Isn’t it annoying when plants are nibbled to almost destruction. It’s definitely slugs & snails that are the main culprits here. I admire those who go out with a torch at night and pick them off. That’s not for me. I can follow their slimy trails in the morning and often find their hiding places! But I’m outnumbered! 🤣 Have a good week, Cathy.

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    1. Thank you, Beth. t’s been a funny old year here, and I think everything that’s growing is a bit confused. The plants have been working hard though to put on a show, despite the very cold July.

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  5. More beautiful photos Cathy. Especially those alliums and the cosmos. My hydrangeas are not doing well this year. I think I am going to have to do some severe pruning of the twisted hazel as it is blocking out too much light. I’m beginning to wonder about sowing seeds too, my cosmos and calendula and nasturtiums were very slow to grow and even now planted out they are producing very small flowers. And my biennials that I sowed last month haven’t even germinated. Last year I had lovely plants. I need to make less work for myself in the garden.

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    1. That’s a pity about your hydrangeas, most of mine are reasonably ok but one has small blooms – though I think I forgot to prune it earlier in the year. That’s user error isn’t it. 🤔 Also my much-loved Wisteria tree has died. No flowers this year, no leaves and the tiny buds stayed tiny then died. I’m sure I’ve heard Monty Don mention a couple of times this year that his seeds failed. That gives us hope that it’s not user-error but doesn’t help solve the problem. Is this what we might expect as a regular problem from now on with the changing climate? On a brighter note, perhaps your biennials will surprise you – I’ll have my fingers crossed!

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    2. PS – I bought some seedlings to replace the seed non-show, but even they haven’t done well. I have very few cosmos in the garden this year. The lilacs didn’t flower either and they’re all located in different parts of the garden. I could go on…

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        1. I bought Chocolate cosmos as it’s perennial and I thought that might do quite well. Only I didn’t realise that it has to treated like dahlias and protected over winter. 😱 That’s another three tubers to get through the winter! I should have read about it before buying – some people never learn. 🙄

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  6. I really enjoyed reading your post! Your garden looks beautiful as summer starts to fade. I love how you capture the late summer vibe, with everything blooming and the harvest just around the corner. It’s clear how much care you put into your garden, and it’s inspiring to see it thrive. Happy gardening this August! 🌸

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    1. Thank you Ilze, it’s nice to meet you. It’s been a troublesome summer for the plants this year and now we’re getting so close to autumn I feel the garden is prematurely starting to fade. Perhaps by next year the seasons will have sorted themselves out. 😊

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      1. Nice to meet you too! I’m sorry to hear that this summer has been tough on your plants. It’s always a bit disheartening when the garden starts to fade early. Here’s hoping for a more balanced season next year and a garden that can thrive. Wishing you all the best as you transition into autumn! 🌿😊

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  7. A beautiful hydrangea Catherine and from what you say one that’s ideally suited to your location. I love allium sphareocephalon too and have also noticed there tendency to flop unless supported. I planted a new to me allium this year ‘Summer Beauty’ after seeing it in a National Trust garden in Scotland last summer. It makes a good clump, has pale lilac flowers and is also in flower now. The bees love it 😀

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    1. I thought it was just my alliums that got flattened by the winds! I see all those lovely, perfectly upright drumstick alliums and wish that mine looked like that. I must look for ‘Summer Beauty’ for next summer, Anna. It would be nice to have alliums in the borders during late summer. Thank’s for mentioning it.

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