2024 August 23 What’s in Bloom?

It’s late summer and it feels like the weather has already turned to fall about three weeks early! The orchestra of crickets, cicadas and katydids have replaced the silent sparkles of the early summer lightning bugs. I cleaned out the pond and there was immediate interest from a Black and White Warbler and a Nashville Warbler. Fall migration has started early too! But what happened to the Monarch Butterflies? We had seen maybe a hundred by now last year…this year just a handful.

So what’s in bloom? A few fall favorites are early. The front yard is definitely looking a bit odd, since we cut some things back to add in plugs for later summer blooms. Gardeners know it’ll look great when the perennials have their second year next year. 

See below for blooms:

The tall Goldenrods are blooming at the zoo, but we have the Short Goldenrod Solidago shortii blooming in the front yard. It’s native to a small area in Kentucky, but it does well up north here. I might propagate more this winter for the tree lawn, since it’s not likely to block car views. 

The New York Aster Symphyotricum novi-belgii is just starting to bloom after spending most of the summer being mistaken as a weed. It’s gorgeous when it’s completely bloomed out. 

We didn’t plant this Common Evening Primrose Oenothera biennis, but it’s a prairie native so it stays. The Goldfinches and Hummingbirds have been all over it, and they are the likely ones who planted it. I hope to move it to the lawn because it’s too tall and likes to reach into the sidewalk. This biennial does come back, but I’m still getting to know it. It looks out of place where it decided to grow (in the already-bloomed short patch of Showy Evening Primrose Oenothera speciosa). 

The Orange Coneflower Rudbekia fulgida is stealing the show in the back yard right now. I think we need more of these out front next year. 

I believe this is Prairie Onion Allium stellatum. It’s almost done flowering. I need to do a little more research on this one. It reminds me of the Nodding Onion we have out back. 

Oh hey annual sunflower that I didn’t plant! This will do until the Helianthus bloom mid fall.

The wedding zinnia patch is interplanted with the Moon Flower Datura stramonium. It’s pretty striking later in the day when the Moonflowers open. We planted these annuals because the perennials below are small and more fragile this first year. Next year we will not put zinnias here, so the perennials will grow full height.

The birds are going crazy for the Concord grapes right now. I’m going to buy pectin tonight to get some jelly going.