August Flowers

At the very beginning of August, the echinacea were gorgeous!

Even now, although their color is much faded, it cheers me to see them. It's amazing how long those blossoms hang in there. I used to have white- blossomed echinacea also, but they seem to have disappeared over the winter, something that happens all too often in NW Wisconsin, zone 3.

The rudbeckia are amazing. So bright and beautiful, they're my favorite flower in the pond garden after the June irises, which are long gone by now, of course. They seem to do well even with the ever-narrowing window of sunlight they get as our trees grow bigger! The rudbeckia will bloom until we get a hard frost.

This beautiful zinnea is one that grew from seed I saved from last year's plants. Most of this year's zinneas had only a single row of petals, although last year's zinneas all were huge and full. (I think this is what you get when you plant saved seed from a hybrid plant). This is one of the few that also had many rows, but was still a smaller blossom than last year's. I figured I had nothing to lose, since the seed was free - and here.  Zinneas are among my favorite because they're so cheering (you see a theme here??) and also keep blossoming right up until frost. This particular pic was taken by Natalia the night of the hymn sing, using my camera. Great shot, Natalia!

Joe got me this red petunia for Mother's Day and it's been blooming ever since. We've had such a rainy summer, so it wasn't dependent upon my watering it. :-) I do best with plants that thrive on neglect. This plant is in a container on the deck.

It won't be long before we'll be covering the flowers with old sheets to protect them from frost. It was 46 degrees when we got up this morning, so that time is rapidly approaching. The sheets usually buy us another couple weeks of blossoms before they're gone for the year. Right now, what's blossoming in my pond garden? Rudbeckia, impatiens, purple salvia, liatris, and the last, rapidly-fading echinacea.

 Wildflowers in the ditches

In the little pond itself are the water hyacinths (and snails) that keep my pond healthy and the water clear. Each spring, after Mother's Day, I buy two water hyacinths. Usually, by mid summer I'm having to pitch many of them just so we can still see the water! They will quickly take over if I'm not paying attention!

I love this time of year, late summer, but I can even tell with my little pond garden that things are definitely winding down toward the big W, that season that sneaks up on us and sticks around for about 6 months.

Have a great Thursday. We're off to Indiana, for our daughter's in labor with their first child - a boy!  :-)


P.S. Don't forget to visit Sherry at her blog, Lamp Unto My Feet for her Blogiversary Giveaway! My handcrafted soaps are being featured there this week. :-)