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Award winner author of gardening humor books

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May Dreams Gardens

Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day – August 2020

August 15, 2020 By Carol Michel 55 Comments

 

Allium 'Millinium'

Welcome to Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day for August 2020.

Here in my USDA Hardiness Zone 6a garden in central Indiana, I wasn’t quite sure where to begin! I have a lot more flowers than I thought. 

So, let’s just start looking, shall we?

First off, I have Allium ‘Millenium’ blooming all over because I planted it along the edges of several borders. It is a bee and pollinator magnet.  Don’t believe me? Check out the video I’ve added at the end of this post.

And yes, I shot those videos sitting right there by all those bees, and not a one of them took any notice of me.

Peeking through the allium is Clematis x jouiniana ‘Mrs. Robert Brydon’.

It’s a clematis that scrambles in and around other flowers and blooms late in the season.

Clematis 'Mrs Robert Brydon'

Elsewhere in the garden…

This Phlox paniculata shows up and blooms nicely with no powdery mildew on its leaves.

Phlox paniculata

I don’t know where it came from or when I planted it, so it might be the straight species and I might have picked it up by serendipity when I rescued some other wildflowers.

I bought cup flower, Silphium perfoliatum, pictured below.

Cup flower

I’ve got to watch it closely and remove all the seed heads because it is a gigantic plant, over six feet tall.

I finally feel like I have good shade for hostas, and several of them are blooming this month.
hosta

‘Tis a shame I don’t keep better track of which varieties of hosta I have.

I know this bloom is a Joe Pye weed.

Joe Pye Weed

It’s Eutrochium dubium ‘Little Joe’.

August is not complete without zinnias. These are some zinnias (and weeds) growing along the back fence in the vegetable garden.

Zinnias

I do need to weed.

I am pleased with this Potentilla now blooming.

potentilla

I cut this back to nubbins earlier in the spring and it has bounced back nicely.

The coneflowers, Echinacea purpurea, have been blooming for a while.

coneflowers

Did I mention zinnias?

I think I did. They are so easy to grow from seed and have done quite well this year.

Another annual flower I grew from seed is Nicotiana alata

Flowering tobacco

I started the seeds indoors a few weeks before the last frost.

Figs count as flowers by the way because the flower is inside the fruit!

Figs

This a hardy variety called ‘Brown Turkey’. It dies back to the ground in the winter and comes back from the roots each spring.

How about a little calamint?
calamint

This is Calamintha nepeta subsp nepeta. It is also a pollinator magnet!

And here’s a sneak peek at what’s coming.  Tall sedum is budded up and will soon be showing color.

Tall sedum

And here’s the video of pollinators I promised!
And that’s Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day here at May Dreams Gardens. What’s blooming in your garden as we reach the beginning of the end of summer? We’d love to have you join in for Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day and show us. It’s easy to participate. Just post on your blog about what’s blooming in your garden on or about the 15th of the month, then leave a link here in the Mr. Linky widget to help us find your post and a comment so we know what you have to show us.
Remember…
“We can have flowers nearly every month of the year.” ~ Elizabeth Lawrence

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: garden bloggers bloom day

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lee@A Guide to Northeastern Gardening says

    August 15, 2020 at 5:49 am

    So many beautiful blooms Carol and I especially love the Potentilla and Zinnias! Thank you for hosting and Happy Bloom Day!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 1:56 pm

      Happy see your report post Hurricane Isaias. Lovely flowers, incuding the 'Rosie Posie' Agastache, which reminded me I forgot to post a picture of my Agastache, 'Blue Fortune' which is also drawing in pollinators like crazy! Thanks for joining in!

      Reply
  2. VP says

    August 15, 2020 at 8:40 am

    I'm giggling at your post Carol, because I'd thought about cheekily writing about my brown turkey figs because they are in fact flowers 😉

    I've not grown Zinnias before, but I'm planning to next year for my new cut flower project.

    This month I've written about a chance encounter which has neatly supplied the answer to a gap in one of my borders 🙂

    Happy Blooms Day everyone!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 2:01 pm

      Never grown Zinnias before? Goodness. I hope you try them soon and let us know how they work out for you. They like it a bit on the hot side but your growing season should be long enough. So easy to grow from seed. (Loved your post by the way!)

      Reply
  3. Arun Goyal says

    August 15, 2020 at 8:43 am

    Oh lovely blooms ..I am missing my Fig plant which wilted due to my ignorance last month …btw those zinnias are startling .I have started a link up party related to Gardening .Please share your posts related to gardening here is the link http://jaipurgardening.blogspot.com/2020/08/garden-affair-link-up-party.html

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 2:04 pm

      I'm guessing your fig plant doesn't die down to the ground each winter like mine does. It's always a race to watch to see if the figs will ripen before the first frost stops them.

      Reply
  4. My Gardener Says... says

    August 15, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Lots of summer beauties in your garden. I'm envious of your coneflowers as mine have long gone to seed. I liked the video of the allium pollinators–they're busy, busy. Thanks for hosting!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 3:35 pm

      Thank you! My coneflowers almost didn't make the cut because they are going to seed quickly!

      Reply
  5. Brenda in South Dakota says

    August 15, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Carol, the cup flower is one that we share on the Northern Plains! It's found in undisturbed native areas of grassland.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 3:36 pm

      It's a big plant. I probably shouldn't have it in my little surburban garden but it is too interesting not to include in my micro-prairie area.

      Reply
  6. Lisa says

    August 15, 2020 at 3:37 pm

    I was thinking of growing cup flower, but when I saw how tall it gets I reconsidered! Thank you for hosting Bloom Day. If only my dying lilac would get finished dying I'd put in a fig.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:00 pm

      Cup Plant is definitely big. And figs are fun! Thanks for joining in.

      Reply
  7. Phillip Oliver says

    August 15, 2020 at 3:55 pm

    I like the new look! And I've been meaning to try calamint but never purchased it. I am very tempted now that I know it attracts pollinators.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:21 pm

      Yes, any plant that attracts pollinators is a great thing to grow. Though, it is not native to the United States. I believe it is native in some parts of the UK.

      Reply
  8. danger garden says

    August 15, 2020 at 4:18 pm

    I was so curious how your video upload would go (after reading yesterday's post). I see you went the YouTube route. I never had any issues uploading videos with the old blogger platform but with the new one I've had no luck. Ugh. Love your zinnias!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:22 pm

      I never tried to upload videos with the old blogger but when I tried to do a test of a video yesterday it never seemed to finish loading. So YouTube to the rescue, where I've been playing with different types of videos this year.

      Reply
    • danger garden says

      August 15, 2020 at 9:00 pm

      That's the same issue I had. Loading forever…

      Reply
  9. Kris Peterson says

    August 15, 2020 at 4:30 pm

    It looks like you're having a glorious August! I love the abundance of zinnias growing in your garden. Like my dahlias, mine got a late start this year but at least that gives me something to look forward to in September.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:23 pm

      Yes, all things considered, the August garden is looking pretty good. Of course, we've had rain occasionally and the hottest days haven't been just awful.

      Reply
  10. bookworm says

    August 15, 2020 at 4:37 pm

    Your pollinator video was awesome. I should take a video of all these wasps around my pineapple mint – not one bee, but lots of wasps. (?) I enjoyed your Joe Pye weed (it's having a banner year – the wild ones, that is – where I live) and zinnias. Calamint is one of these things I always mean to try but don't. Thank you once again for hosting GBBD.

    Reply
    • bookworm says

      August 15, 2020 at 4:37 pm

      Forgot to say who I am! Alana ramblinwitham.blogspot.com. Sorry about that!

      Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:24 pm

      Hello Alana. I haven't been too many places lately where the Joe Pye weed are growing wild. I'll have to keep my eyes open. I like 'Little Joe' because it isn't quite as big as the wild ones are.

      Reply
  11. Denise/agrowingobsession says

    August 15, 2020 at 5:07 pm

    I could watch that video all day! What an awesome allium, and calamint is one of my favs too.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:25 pm

      Thank you! The bees are the stars of it. So many!

      Reply
  12. Gail says

    August 15, 2020 at 5:15 pm

    Fabulousness in your garden! xogail

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 15, 2020 at 6:25 pm

      Thank you, Gail, for stopping by to see!

      Reply
  13. Lea says

    August 15, 2020 at 8:43 pm

    Beautiful flowers, and I enjoyed the video, too!
    Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:47 am

      Thank you. I am and I hope you are too!

      Reply
  14. Pauline says

    August 15, 2020 at 9:43 pm

    You have so many beautiful flowers but I especially love your gorgeous alliums, watching all your bees in the video was amazing. I think we will all be buying them for our gardens next year!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:48 am

      The other great thing about them is the bulk up and are easy to dig and divide. I'm sharing them with my sisters! And indeed, I got these from an old neighbor friend.

      Reply
  15. Karin / Southern Meadows says

    August 15, 2020 at 10:27 pm

    Your garden is looking lovely. I find August to be such a tough month for blooming perennials by end of summer. I bet you're looking forward to harvesting those figs!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:49 am

      Karin, I am looking forward to those figs. I manage to get a few that ripen before frost hits.

      Reply
  16. Nancy says

    August 15, 2020 at 10:57 pm

    Your garden always looks so lush!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:50 am

      Thank you, Nancy. We've been blessed with normal amounts of rain this summer, plus… I don't share the scarce parts of the garden!

      Reply
  17. WashingtonGardener says

    August 15, 2020 at 11:03 pm

    It has been busy week (as you know!) and I didn't think I'd get a Bloom Day post done this year, but glad I decided to charge ahead and do one as I'd have not noticed much of the flower action in my garden this week. Thanks for continuing to host this sharing forum!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:51 am

      Thanks for joining in. It was a busy, but fun week. Anyone reading this… we just had GardenComm's first ever virtual conference last with some great talks, lots of sharing, etc. Good fun!

      Reply
  18. CanadianGardenJoy says

    August 16, 2020 at 12:03 am

    Gorgeous flowers Carol ! I just tried linking in for this event .. not sure I have done it correctly but I wanted to give it a shot 😉

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 12:52 am

      Looks good. Thank you!

      Reply
    • Commonweeder says

      August 16, 2020 at 3:54 pm

      I thought I didn't have too much to show off this Bloom Day, but surprised myself. My garden is not large, but it is has trees and very large shrubs. The flowers are more scattered in this season. Even so, I have lots of zinnias – a new project.

      Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 8:08 pm

      Commonweeder… it is surprising how many flowers you have when you go out and look! Thanks for joining in!

      Reply
  19. Gone Tropical says

    August 16, 2020 at 6:15 pm

    Carol, what lovely summer flowers you have! Thank you for hosting the monthly bloom day 🙂

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 16, 2020 at 8:08 pm

      Thank you for joining in!

      Reply
  20. John says

    August 16, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    Nice to see those 'Millenium', they are a delightful allium. I also liked your figs – I have some hanging on a potted fig that I forgot to take inside last winter and it survived.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 17, 2020 at 2:52 am

      And thank you for participating, John!

      Reply
  21. jpotuchek says

    August 17, 2020 at 2:07 am

    Thanks for hosting this monthly bloom fest, Carol

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 17, 2020 at 2:53 am

      You're welcome! It's my pleasure to do so!

      Reply
  22. Christopher C. NC says

    August 17, 2020 at 3:16 am

    I really need to move my alliums to more sun. I keep seeing how gorgeous they are and mine are pitiful in too much shade.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 19, 2020 at 3:44 am

      Yes, you should move them. I have some in partial shade and they are nice but not as nice as those in full sun.

      Reply
  23. Heather O says

    August 17, 2020 at 8:47 pm

    I guess I always thought of alliums as a spring flower, but maybe I'll have to look into this kind. They're lovely!

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 19, 2020 at 3:44 am

      Yes, everyone is surprised to see them blooming this time of year. A nice surprise!

      Reply
  24. Pam's English Garden says

    August 18, 2020 at 1:17 pm

    You August garden is lovely, Carol. Yes, August is for zinnias. Sorry I'm late! P.x

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 19, 2020 at 3:45 am

      Thank you Pam, and better late than never!

      Reply
  25. mw says

    August 19, 2020 at 1:46 am

    Does the silphium self-seed? I love zinnias and planted a lot of seeds a month ago but they're still quite small (a 2-6 inches tall) and not flowering. I think it's our drought, though I have watered them just about every day.

    Reply
    • Carol Michel says

      August 19, 2020 at 3:46 am

      I'm afraid to even let Silphium (cup plant) try to self-sow as it would be a lot of very large plants in my small surburban garden.

      Reply
  26. Shirley says

    August 21, 2020 at 11:22 pm

    Hi again Carol, a bit late, but good to join in again. Have serious envy with your cone flower strip! Very nice. I'm also a fan of allium Millenium, great video btw. This allium moved in here last year but I added more this year beside it. It's a mega pollinator magnet as your video shows. I love it too, both as a plant and to see all the wildlife it brings. Enjoy yours 🙂

    Reply

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