Surprise, surprise: the beach rose has a SECOND bloom, first time in three years.
It’s been both a good and bad summer, good in that we’ve had some soaking rains, and bad in that the same rains have made it tricky to manage soil moisture in the flower boxes.
Pruning back the pansies early has prevented them from getting leggy and yellowed. The dahlias are strong and healthy, should be opening up soon.
The mystery yellow flowers that look but don’t act like evening primrose are gone by, and there are healthy buds on some of the late-summer bloomers.
The annuals have established themselves very well, so the garden in front of the fence has a lot more color this year: pinks, reds, yellows.
I’m especially pleased with the coriopsis, rescued last year from a colleague’s home expansion project; their yellow star-shaped flowers and dill-like leaves make a cheerful addition.
Even Peter’s window boxes are looking pretty good. This is the first year I’ve tried live plants instead of artificial, and we managed to nurturing some hanging vines in each, a modest asthetic goal achieved.