August Assessment

It is a welcoming 72 degrees here this morning.  Hard to believe it's August in South Louisiana, but I'll take it!  A great morning for putting down that pine straw I got yesterday to freshen up my flower beds!

Now that we are truly in the dog days of summer, August is a great time to do an assessment of our gardens to see what has performed well and what has not.  I don't plant a lot of annuals because I prefer taking the easy route with perennials and native plant species.  However, the annuals that have by far been the best performers in my gardens are:  coleus (7 different types and all beautiful), melampodium (beautiful yellow daisy-like flowers on compact upright plants, perfect for the front of borders or in planters), balloon flower, millionbells, supertunias,  annual salvia, verbena, mandevillia, vinca, zinnias, and wishbone flower. 

As far as perennials go, the mexican petunias are going crazy right now with their purple blooms swaying on tall stems, along with daylillies (old-fashioned orange doubles), cannas, bee balm, gladiolus, salvia, and hydrangeas.  The Don Juan and Peace climbers, Mister Lincoln, knock-out and iceberg roses are loaded with blooms.  I just noticed the red bleeding heart is starting to bloom.  The bleeding heart always makes me happy because the "mother" plant was actually in my great-grandmother's garden over 50 years ago.  A cutting went from there to my grandmother's and then another cutting went to an aunt, which is where I got mine.  I always love strolling the garden and looking at all of the plants that were pass-alongs from family and friends.  It never fails to make me feel close to them,  especially those that have passed from this life, like my grandmothers and my momma.

The pink and red crape myrtles are blooming now, as the big Natchez Whites are just finishing up.  The wisteria is sneaking in a couple of big purple clusters, with their lilac scent heavy in the early evening air.  I love it, even though it's a pain to keep under control!  Today's chore list includes trimming off runners.

Another plant that's been a great surprise is a pink indigo I got from a friend in Lafayette a couple of years ago.  She just pulled out a piece and we stuck it in wet newspaper for the ride home.  This thing has gone crazy this year in a part-shade bed next to a shed.  It has bloomed continuously all season.  It grew into a sprawling plant last year and died back to the ground over the winter, but returned just beautifully this year.  I had heard that it was difficult to get a cutting to root, so I amended the garden soil with a lot of sand and potting soil, which seems to have worked.  If you haven't tried this one, and you like pink flowers, I would strongly encourage you to give it a try!  As you can see from the photo,  it has open, airy foliage and the blooms sway in clusters.  It has overtaken a variegated ginger that was there first!

Remember, la vie est belle, so don't miss a moment!  Enjoy your day in the garden!

Sherri