What's Blooming

August's colors in the butterfly garden include coneflowers, black-eyed susans and false aster 'Jim Crockett.'

False aster 'Jim Crockett.'

Purple coneflowers.

This year the joe-pye weed has reached towering heights in the butterfly border.

Butterfly bush 'Black Knight' is also in bloom. Its deep purple wands stand out against the yellow verbascum spikes.

Globe thistle, echinops ritro, ready to burst into bloom.

Perennial sunflower helianthus microcephalus. The bees seem to enjoy this more than the butterflies.

The border along the drive is full of autumn color. Oxeye 'Summer Nights' against ninebark 'Coppertina.'

California poppies pop against ajuga.

Sneezeweed, helenium autumnale.

Rudbeckia maxima. I planted three of these in spring. One has decided to bloom already. Mature, these will reach a height of 5 to 7 feet. The seed cones can be 4 to 6 inches tall.

This cutleaf coneflower was planted among the sunflowers in the border along the potager. I bought it at a local plant sale and it was labeled as a perennial sunflower.

The seeds planted in the pollinator garden along the potager are now fully grown and in bloom.

Zinnia and rose mallow.

The monarchs seem to prefer the joe-pye weed and swamp milkweed.

Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens the 15th of each month. Visit Carol's blog and if you'd like, add your blog to the list so we can visit your blog blooms.

Butterfly Garden: Swamp Milkweed (A. Incarnata)

 

Why did I plant this? I planted this because it is a member of the Milkweed family, more specifically, Asclepiadaceae - the only family that the Monarch Butterfly will use to lay eggs. I spied several Monarch caterpillars the very first year I planted it! It smells delicious when in bloom (humming birds are attracted to its flowers as well) and the seed pods are pretty in the fall. It will spread readily. For this same reason I planted Butterfly Weed (A. Tuberosa).