Monday, August 26, 2013

Some August Flowers

 This is Rudbeckia Cherry Brandy, a type of Gloriosa Daisy.  It is similar to the wild Brown-Eyed Susans that you see growing by the roadside.  Officially, it is a perennial but is not reliably hardy so it is usually grown as an annual.  However, it can self-sow and perpetuate itself that way.  I'm hoping it will appear next year as I like the unusual colour.
 It grows to 2 -2 1/2 ' tall, shorter than the Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum'.  Like all Rudbeckias , it loves full sun.
 I am super pleased with this Rudbeckia 'Autumn Sun'.  It is a hardy perennial (zone 5) so here's hoping it makes it through the winter.  The yellow is brighter than Goldstrum which leans to orange.
'Autumn Sun' grows to be 5-6' tall! and it doesn't flop.  The stems are very sturdy.  So hard to find a tall plant that doesn't fall over.  It's been blooming for a few weeks now and has more buds coming.
Wild purple asters are beside it which should look nice once they open up.

 Rudbeckia 'Goldstrum' with some purple coneflowers.  They grow super well together and both of them make seeds that the birds will eat in the fall and winter.

 I've been wanting a Heliopsis for a while and finally found one that I liked this year.  I like the orangey centers and the dark stems.  It should fill out and become a large clump.  It's in the wilder garden on the side of the road so it has room to spread.

 While we were in England, the broccoli bloomed.  At first, I thought I would pick off all the flowers, but then I noticed that lots of small bumblebees were feeding on it so I left it for a week. I do want more broccoli shoots to grow though, so I had to eventual take off the flowers.

I tried to take a picture of the bees but they were too active to catch.  Instead here is a view of what the broccoli flowers might look like to the bees.

1 comment:

  1. The Cherry Brandy Rudbeckia is gorgeous. I assume it would do well in containers. I have been using Ostespermums for a few years but although they were lovely for most of the summer, they've aren't blooming as much despite vigorous deadheading.

    It won't matter they aren't hardy as we are Zone 3.

    I've never grown broccoli, the flowers are very pretty. Isn't it nice to be able to enjoy the flowers and then be able to eat the fresh vegetables?

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