Hi there! Ever notice that there is a change in the air in August? Maybe it’s a change in temperature, or maybe it’s just natural excitement as talk begins about the kids going back to school or college. I’m in no hurry to rush summer along, but I can feel that things are changing. My flowers seem to be happy, though! The dahlias are blooming, the hydrangea are filling out, the butterflies are visiting and the sunflowers continue to bloom.
I’ll be joining Jim at Garden Ruminations for our Six on Saturday meme. It’s a lovely way to see other gardens from around the world!
I hope you’ll enjoy the tour.
In Peace,
Dana
1 & 2 – Hydrangea ‘Vanille Fraise’ Paniculata ‘Renhy’ and Agapanthus Blue Umbrella. The Vanille Fraise hydrangea’s flowers have never been as big as this year. And they are so full! The Agapanthus has been moved around the garden a couple of times, never blooming before this year. I’m not 100% sure it is completely happy where it is, though, as I think it would prefer a bit more sun. I’ll be on the lookout for a new location!
3, 4 & 5 – From top right: Pink Olivia Rose Austin roses, Red Admiral butterfly on Buddleia Buzz ‘Dark Pink’ Butterfly Bush, California poppy (orange) with yellow Potentilla shrub, Peacock butterfly on Buddleia Buzz butterfly bush.
The first thing I noticed about the roses, after seeing the pretty flowers and buds, were the leaves, which are a beautiful green. This is quite noticeable in my yard at this time of year as it is not uncommon for the rose shrubs to be covered in black spot! What a treat to see this shrub looking so well.
I had the pleasure of weeding near the butterfly bush this week. It is now quite fragrant, and attracts so many butterflies to its sweet flowers. One day it was only covered in Peacock butterflies, but the next time there were three varieties (the third being small Tortoiseshell). What a treat!
6 – Flower arrangement with sunflowers, dahlias and Japanese anemone. Dahlias: ‘Hartenaas’, ‘Great Silence’, ‘Creme de Cassis’, ‘Wizard of Oz’. This week I’ve made a pink themed flower arrangement. I like the challenge of finding enough flowers in the garden to make an arrangement!
Thanks so much for visiting. I’m hoping I’ll have more dahlias blooming next week to try another arrangement! 🙂
Mom in the Garden 
So many gorgeous flowers this week! How lovely.
Thankfully, all of the rain has not dampened (😉) the spirits of the flowers!
Lovely to hear about all the butterflies, I have plenty of cabbage whites!
I think the cabbage whites are so pretty, too, Rosie! I did see a couple of them around, too.
very pretty bouquet! I wouldn’t have thought of adding Japanese anemones and small sunflowers like you did.
Thank you, Fred. I’ve learned that it’s nice to have something ‘flowy’ and tall in an arrangement, to add another dimension. 🙂
I love your arrangements! So very pretty!
And yes, there are definitely changes in the air in August, but I particularly notice changes in the light and the way the mid-afternoon shadows play across my backyard. It always educes a wistful feeling for me.
Thank you, Kimberley. Ah yes, there is definitely the change in lighting. Even my chickens are putting themselves to bed by 9:00 PM now, instead of the lateness of 10 PM earlier in the summer!
Your flower arrangements are always so gorgeous! Loving the giant poofs of hydrangeas popping up on everyone’s blogs, and I still find it oddly delightful to encounter California poppies purposely sown in gardens across the world 😀
Thank you so much, Angela. There’s definitely something about the California poppy that is just so cheerful and happy! And it is funny how well is ‘goes’ with so many different plants. (Sown many, many years ago, and it just keeps coming back!)
I do hope that the ones I planted this year will self-seed as well! I can’t quite tell if they like our climate or not. Have you tried any of the double petal varieties and know if they do as well?
I have some poppies that have lots of ruffles for petals and they do just as well in my yard. I have to confess that my compost heap doesn’t get hot so it doesn’t kill seeds. So when I spread my compost around the garden, the seeds get spread all around!