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All the Allium I've grown were heavy self seeders. I usually deadhead them now. I haven't been able to germinate ramps and rampions. Maybe I should allow some seedlings to grow out and maybe some will have a deeper purple color?
False Dragonheads and Pink Turtleheads. Physostegia virginiana, Chelone obliqua
I've never seen a real Pluchea odorata in bloom. It's taking an eternity. Saltmarsh Fleabane, Camphorweed.
I have some sun flowers which reseed that started as giant sunflowers like 6 years ago and now they look like the natural ones pictured. Guess they revert over time
L Clark, I had wondered who was responsible for selectively breeding the Helianthus anuus to have enormous flowerheads, and it was the native peoples who did it to increase food production. They did the same thing with corn. The sunflowers seem to attract many moth pollinators at night.
Zinnias respond favorably to getting cut back, but honestly, succession sowing is the easiest approach to keeping them fresh-looking throughout the season. They do well direct sown at 2 or 3 week intervals.
I have read that asclepsia should be cut back right after it blooms, not because it will rebloom, but because monarch cats prefer the fresh tender new growth.
I do get rebloom on phlox with deadheading.
For Echinacea, I agree with Jay. Variety helps. It is also very easy to start a bit from seed each year (I lose some plants ti various fungal yuck every year so new plants refresh the stock and they bloom late the first year. You can often get this same effect through dividing plants in spring.
Another strategy to consider for next year is the Chelsea chop where you cut some plants back by half in May before they bloom. This creates shorter, bushier plants abd pushes the bloom time out a but later. If you have a good sized clump of phlox, you can chop back a portion of it in May and the shorter bushier part will help support the taller stems and bloom later.
Just know that you are not alone. Late summer garden melt down is a common issue and heat, drought, and damaging storms take there toll.
Jay your echinacea are beautiful. I also tried pallida and paradoxa from seed years ago but they never flourished for me and I lost them. Perhaps I will try again. I really love the bloom form of them.
christie I have the same problem, especially this year with the rain. I have a lot of leaners too lol. Most of my yard is shade so some things do lean toward the sun, and then with all this rain, lots of things - especially my daylilies earlier in the season - literally were laying flat on the ground blooming!
:)
Dee
I don't cut back to encourage re-bloom, per se, but rather I deadhead to tidy up, especially annuals -- zinnia, geranium, heliotrope, salvia, marigold are the annuals that pop into mind. A lot of perennials, too, if I have the time and feel like putzing around. I did notice this year that balloon flower will reward you with light re-bloom if you deadhead.
What I cut back hard is catmint and perennial geranium -- after the bloom flush in late May-early June they get cut to the ground to encourage fresh foliage. Otherwise, they tend to look messy. They fill in again very fast and look fresh the rest of the season. No rebloom on the perennial geranium, I can't say as though I've noticed with the catmint -- it's tucked away out of view so I haven't paid attention.
I leave the spent blooms on my Joe Pye and "Herbstonne" rudbeckia. The birds relish the seeds, and because the plants are so tall I can enjoy the feeding show at viewing height out the window. I might have to cut back this year, though -- even though they are hoop-staked with very tall hoops, the storms a couple nights ago did a number on them and other things, I'll have to wait to see if they bounce back upright after drying out or if the stems are broken. Same with the PeeGee hydrangeas. Actually, I am going to cut off the blooms on those because the branches will stay bent out of shape from the weight of the huge flower trusses if left too long. The birds don't care about those, though I do. :0)
Yes, important point, Markay. First year black spot issues are not a reason to grab the shovel. Two or even three years of trialing a rose is recommended. Most organizations like ADR trial for three years.
Moses.
@Markay - Look, I'm in a different climate than you but here Sweet Mademoiselle is in my very short list of best roses. Nothing tops it.
I highly recommend it.
Markay, that Yellow Submarine foliage looks pretty good for this time of year. Any fungus that hits in late season is acceptable to me as long as it's inconsequential. It's when foliage is getting hit hard already in June, and the bush becomes half defoliated by 4th. of July that makes that variety subject to shovel pruning.
Moses.
Thanks Moses!🌷 I will order some next year.
Well, Jim, we each deal with the hand we're dealt. And there are pluses I've mentioned before to a hot, dry growing season. I don't know if this is a plus, but my Orange Dude is now about as large as Ascot. OD is at least 6 feet and about 4 feet wide. He's covered with buds and new growth and looks very healthy like his great aunt Julia Child. Haha. Tom Carruth knows how to breed vigorous roses, I guess. I grow a lot of them. Still, I'd really welcome some rain. And this Friday our highs drop from 98F to 80F! I'll be colder than Carol in Calgary. Not really, but a drop that big in temperature will take a wind storm. Ugh. Nanadoll
Thanks Carol...This time of year is usually when the uglys start...Sun position changes, cooler days & nights etc etc causes rose/plant leaves to do crazy things...
I suppose its cooling off where you live by now Carol?
8/31/26
it a horrible weed.. dig it out.. run it over with the car.. wrap it in 4 grocery bags and send it to the landfill ... i dont really care what the proper name is... that fact does not add to my hatred of the plant. ....
wait and see if you want to prove me wrong.. but make sure you do not let it go to seed...
the seed probably came in the dirt you bought to fill your raised beds gardens..
ken
TJ-I didn’t save the tag to the pink dahlia I have, but it looks awfully similar to Lavender perfection 🤔
"I’m hoping the salvia will be winter hardy for me."
Pot it up and take it inside as an insurance policy. Or take cuttings in fall -- they are easy to root from cuttings in the fall.
Are you certain that you are not my twin sister? I, too, must putz around outdoors! Just cannot sit still for any length of time -- always seeing something "small" that I need to jump up and deal with. My view of my gardens, whatever state they might be in (don't look at them now, things are a mess), is either from a standing position or kneeling. =)
As for balloon flowers, I love them but no longer have any. Still trying unsuccessfully to locate the tall variety, which I prefer. WHY are the offerings only short ones??? I spied some lovely tall ones at my local plant supplier some weeks ago, in their garden beds by the parking lot, and the owner will dig some for me -- if I ever let her know when I plan to visit. Note to self: do this before the offer expires!!! lol.
P.S. ~ just called and the balloon flowers will be ready for pick-up tomorrow. YAY!!!
"If you plant it, they will come" has certainly been the case for the Meadow Blazing Star planted just this spring in the "field of dreams" across the road ...
Thanks Markay for the ID.
The monarch cat went into his 'J' hook phase, sometime last night, not far from where we last seen him.
☺️ <continued>
Wow, that was fast.
I just looked a few hours ago and its antenna were deflated and hanging straight down.
Just to give you an idea, it was like finding a 'needle in a haystack'.
I found a couple flowers that the budworms haven't eaten yet. : ) Now I just need a few dozen more of these.
Markay,
Both Tangerine Skies and Rosanna are beautiful roses. My preference is Tangerine Skies.
It's flower form, leaning to hybrid tea appeals to me more than Rosanna's English rose bloom form. The color of TG is appealing to me. Its uniqueness places it into its own class. Reports on its disease resistance, although TG and Rosanna are not ADR winners, are favorable.
Moses.
enjoyed taking the tour vicariously through your photos!
@windowsill_gardener I appreciate your pics. very much, it helps to decide what roses are best for my zone 5. What planting zone is New York Botanical Garden's Peggy Rockefeller Rose Garde? Thank you.
@strawchicago z5, Thanks, it's in zone 7b.
Thank you Judi!
Markay,
Your rose culture skills are nonpariel. You hold a high standard for me to attain.
Moses.