Echinacea Salsa Red

It really was such a lovely summer.  I have so many pictures that I’ve taken that I want to share!  There have been a few new additions to the garden.  The Salsa Red Echinacea is one of my favorites!  A red cone flower, it has been blooming since I bought it in late summer.  I have it near my Black eyed Susan flowers.

Black eyed Susan (Rudbeckia) in evening sunlight.

Butterfly enjoying the Black eyed Susan

Paniculata hydrangea

The Paniculata hydrangea is another new addition to my garden and another one of my favorites! 🙂  I bought it late in the season while it was still mostly white. But as it ages, it turns pink, and mine turned quite pink in the end.  It is just about ready for me to give it a really good pruning. I’d like to give it a nicer shape for next year as it is quite gangly at the moment.  But the blooms were so lovely and delicate!

Paniculata hydrangea – reminds me of lace.

Paniculata hydrangea

The Paniculata hydrangea likes lots of sun.  Other varieties of hydrangea don’t require as much sunlight as this one does.  It can grow to about 8 to 10 feet tall and wide, but can be kept at the size you want with regular pruning.  Pruning can be done at any time of year as it does not affect the blooms like other varieties of hydrangeas.  I’m excited to see how this one does in our sunny front yard!

End of season Paniculata hydrangea with its new pink color.

Speaking of pink!  My roses are going for another round of showing off!  We had really bad black spot this year, and I was away when it should have been looked after.  I am still trying to find organic ways to prevent/treat black spot. (Please let me know if you’ve found something that works!)  I’ll be growing something from the onion family in the rose garden next year. But I think I’ll need to find some kind of spray, too, as the conditions for black spot are simply too perfect here.  In the meantime, I’m enjoying the (rose) show!

Floribunda rose Queen Elizabeth (fragrant) with about a million flower buds!

Floribunda rose Burgundy Ice

Floribunda rose Burgundy Ice

Hybrid tea rose Pink Peace (fragrant)

A tiny stemmed rose bouquet.

Dahlia

I’ve planted a yellow Dahlia next to my Asters which have a bright yellow center, or at least they will when they finally bloom later in the fall.  This little plant is very cheerful right now!

Dahlia

This redish Dahlia plant I received at the same time as the yellow one.  It seems to be much happier in its location as the plant size more than doubled in a very short amount of time!

A very happy Dahlia plant covered in blooms.

Blue hydrangea

Sure it wouldn’t be summer without a  blue hydrangea picture! This plant is growing just down the road from me at my neighbor Jerry’s house.  I couldn’t resist taking a picture of it, as the color is so lovely!

Pink hydrangea

Things in my yard tend to grow pink!  This hydrangea is in my yard.  That is ok with me.

Autumn Joy sedum

My Autumn Joy sedum is turning a pretty shade of pink.  The butterflies like it too!  I cut this plant down early in the season so that it wouldn’t be so leggy.  That worked great and I think it’s now neater.

Old fashioned geranium

Geranium on a foggy morning.

Marigold

A snapshot of a perfect summer day … already a distant memory.

I love sharing my pictures of flowers with you!  I hope you’ve enjoyed the look back on summer.  I next have to show you a look back on the vegetables from the summer!

Happy end of summer 🙂
Dana