Summer Garden -- the Most Variety

I know why I like my summer flowers best of all...because there is so much variety!  I tend to cram perennials into tighter spaces than they should have, just so I can have the summer and early fall color.  This means planting in and among the many peony plants that I also have, which take a lot of room and shouldn't be cut down before fall so the plant can get extra nourishment.  Rudbeckia and echinacea are my favorite perennials; they are commonly called "black-eyed Susans" and "coneflowers."  I also have two perennial sunflower plants next to the tall annual ones I planted this spring.  For the first time, I have a late-blooming clematis.  (I have planted at least 8 different clematis plants, but only three do anything.)

P52 - Week #29

Generally, I photograph many flowers during spring and summer; for my P52 project, however, I try to  limit the number.  It would be easy to turn it into a flower photo series.  Peonies are my favorites, but their season is so short.  I'm really appreciative of the late summer flowers in our yard.  Black eyed Susans (rudbeckia) and coneflowers (echinacea) are fairly plentiful and they last for a long, colorful time.  I have only one white coneflower plant, for some reason, but it has beautiful blooms.

Nothing Gold Can Stay

That line in my post title from Robert Frost's poem no doubt has deeper meaning than the flowers in my late-summer garden, but it works.  For the most part, the color I see outside is gold:  sunflowers and Black-Eyed Susans (rudbeckia). We've had more than 6 weeks of dry heat (temps between 90-100 F), so the flowers that thrive in those conditions are much appreciated.

I planted three varieties of sunflowers in the spring, and they haven't disappointed.  The perennial "susans" pop up in various areas of my planting strips and I don't discourage them.

P52 Sweet Shot Tuesday #27

Linking up for the second half of 2015 with Kent Weakley's P52 project.

The only good thing about this summer of a record-breaking heat wave is the floral aspect...Black-Eyed Susans and coneflowers, with hydrangeas on the way.

Summer Flowers

I'm fortunate to have beautiful peonies bloom in late spring and early summer; I wish they lasted longer. Within a few weeks, however, the summer blooms begin:  black-eyed Susans (rudbeckia) and coneflowers.  The colors are perfect in the summer heat. My early hydrangea begins turning from white to pink, too. I do love the summer perennials. Just this week, I purchased two more plants: deep red coneflower and deep red rudbeckia.