Late Summer Blooms

I couldn't resist the temptation to go outside on this rainy Saturday and get a picture of the morning glories. They love this cooler weather-and will enjoy the rain. It has been a real chore to keep up with watering these plants all summer, but their fall show may just be worth it. This past week I have been taking a walk around the house and making note of what is still blooming in late summer. This are some of my late bloomers...
My favorite thing blooming right now are Blackfoot Daisies. This is an old pail that is on the flagstone patio. I also have several plants in the wildflower bed cascading over the stone border. Our backyard gets hot, hot sun which these little flowers love. When the sun hits them, the have the most wonderful honey fragrance. The entire yard has a sweet and homey scent-kind of like a vanilla candle you might burn inside.
The Salvia Greggi (Autumn Sage) is blooming which is making the humming-
birds really happy. They are getting ready for their trip south, and are filling up on flower nectar as well as the sugar water I provide them.
I have 2 Angelonia which have bloomed continually since I bought them back in spring. I hate that they are annuals, but they are definitely a buy next year.
Profusion zinnias are just the best. They start performing in early summer, and will continue to bloom until I replace them with pansies. I couldn't recommend these flowers more.
I have been totally surprised about how well the red begonias have done in back. We really kept them watered, and I guess that is the trick. We just knew the begonias would die after we lost the tree, but no..they just kept blooming and are beautiful. You can also see that I have a few Rudbeckias still in bloom.
Not everyone likes Ruellia because it is so invasive, but this one is contained and is placed in an area that really needed height. The pink blooms have been beautiful and another flower appreciated by the hummers. I may be pulling new plants next year, but I don't mind.
I still have a few Zinnias. Most are becoming very leggy, but they still add a little bit of color to the gardens.





I don't have any fall blooming plants. We keep summers so long in Texas, we can keep quite a few plants up to our first frost. I think one reason I am so drawn to yellow and orange in the garden is because it is so pretty in all seasons.


It's about time to say goodbye to summer. I don't think many will be sad to see this season end. It will be time to put some flowers to bed, and plant wildflower seeds and bulbs for spring. We will be getting out our sweaters (well, it will be a while before we do that here in Texas!), and buying pumpkins and mums. Knowing summer is coming to an end, I will cherish the memories of summer-both good and bad-and look forward to crisp autumn days and enjoying a cup of hot tea sitting in the swing.