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Thursday, August 15, 2013

Gardening in Pennsylvania ~ GBBD August 2013

Pink Anemone japonica, Spirea 'Goldflame', red Canna 'King Humbert' and white Cosmos fill the Front Walk garden this week.
Welcome to August in Pennsylvania! We have quite a few flowers this month since the Japanese anemones and meadow rues have started their long season of bloom and the black-eyed Susans are prettying the curb. Come take a walk around!


The Front Walk garden and the Front Woodland (our curb) make garden paths that are nice to enjoy by strolling in our yard and on the sidewalk.
View to the right direction down the Front Walk.
Spirea 'Goldflame' has surprised me with some new flowers this month. I cut it back in late May after its first flush, and this often produces another one in August or September.
The bumble bees go crazy over the Japanese anemones (Anemone japonica). I like to watch them tumble round its anthers... something like a toddler crawling on a giant chocolate chip cookie. Not the best metaphor, but it is the best I can do at the moment. :) 
Cosmos 'Psyche White' started blooming in July (see GBBD July) and is still going strong. Headheading helps it to put its energy into flowering instead of seed production.
Geranium 'Rozanne' blooming and draping itself over our dwarf ornamental grass Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland'.
Allium tuberosum is just coming into flower in the Hill Garden. The silvery lamb's ears (Stachy byzantine) are looking better after their July cut-back.
Allium tuberosum
This is the front view of the Front Walk garden from above. The catmint had a nice haircut in July and is now blooming again. Also, Lamium maculatum is ground cover that is blooming pink again, after already blooming with the tulips in May.
The Hill Garden this August crowned with purple coneflower, Echinacea purpurea.
Black-eyed Susans (Rudbeckia) are blooming away in the curb strip. There are a few airy leaves of crown vetch (Securigera varia) randomly coming up through it, which I am glad to welcome in this wilder tangle of flowers.
View from the front sidewalk to the Circle Lawn and down the Shade Path. Hydrangea 'Limelight' can be seen blooming along the inside of the fence in our backyard.
Potted Begonias near the maple tree with Sedum 'Frosty Morn', purple butterfly bush (Buddleia) and Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantheum latifolium).
I love this combination: purple Buddleia and Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantheum latifolium).
I am so proud of these dragon wing Begonias that I managed (finally!) to overwinter this year. They are not huge, but they are alive. Now for a greenhouse to grow then even larger... :)
Gracefully drooping Northern Sea Oats (Chasmantheum latifolium). They begin to a develop pretty purple coloring as summer moves into fall.
View down the outside of our property to the backyard fence. I am so pleased with the looseness of wild carrot (Daucus carota) in the curb!
Ivy and Sedum play nicely around our back steps.
Potted Begonia on our steps to the sidewalk. Here is also one of the most talked about plants for August: the pink-flowering meadow rue, Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide'. This one, which is about five years old, stands at 8 feet beside our gate.
Ethereal flowers of Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide'.
Thalictrum delavayi 'Splendide'.
Thanks for taking a walk around!

You can enjoy more gardens from around the world for August Garden Blogger's Bloom Day at May Dreams.

14 comments:

  1. Some beautiful pictures, as always...

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  2. Your garden is looking wonderful, as always! You have so many plants, the weeds can't stand a chance, and one lot of planting gives way to the next - brilliant!

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  3. Absolutely everything is stunning...the the Queen Anne's Lace in the parking strip is my absolute favorite...it's just stunning!

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  4. Wow, you have a beautiful garden! It is so lush and green and I'm green with envy! I used to live in Southern Chester County and now live in the West where it is so much drier! The plants never look like they do in PA! :) I love the meadow rue 'Splendide.' What a perfect name and I also love the first shot of the japanese anenome, cana and spirea. Gorgeous!

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  5. I have been hankering for some Thalictrum! I was thinking of 'Elin' but 'Splendid' is gorgeous as well. Lovely photos of the garden.

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  6. I love the look of Sea Oats, but unfortunately they are not hardy here. Your garden is gorgeous.

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  7. Beautiful photos and beautiful garden! You do a great job with your plant combinations. I'm not famliar with Thalictrum but it is gorgeous. I will have to research if it will grow in my climate...probably not! I'll just enjoy seeing your photos!

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  8. Wonderfull !

    Thalictrum Hewitt's Double helps prolong flowering
    The Splendid offers planting ..

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  9. Not sure which I love more the anemone or the rue...I also adore N Sea Ots and the wilder side of gardens...lovely August blooms.

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  10. Lovely, just lovely, Julie! I'm spellbound by the Northern Sea Oats! I've been meaning to add them to my garden, I just need to find the right spot. Don't you just love the Lamiums?! Mind seem to bloom from April through November--the longest blooming plant in my garden, by far! Beautiful post.

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  11. Your garden is as fresh and beautiful in August as it is in May or June, Julie. As always I am attracted to the grasses especially Miscanthus sinensis 'Dixieland', I have been unable to find it here yet but I'm sure that eventually I'll find one. BTW there is always a problem with the way the 'comment as' field appears on my screen, sometimes I'm unable to leave a comment, but I always enjoy reading your posts.

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  12. your garden always looks so beautiful Julie, there is so much texture and contrast in the foliage that even without flowers it would still be beautiful, Frances

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  13. Thanks all! Glad to be able to share our garden with so many other wonderful gardeners!!
    ~Julie

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  14. Still waiting for my Anemone to bloom here. It does have some nice buds! It is unfortunately situated behind some Cleome. Once it blooms, I may just cut some of the Cleomes down! There are so many, I won't miss a few, especially to gain a good view of the Anemone.

    I didn't know Rue grew so tall! Beautiful gardens and pictures, as always!

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