
Though the very first hints of fall are starting to appear here in southeastern Pennsylvania, the weather is definitely full summer, and the garden is thriving. There’s so much going on that I want to remember, and to share, that I’m going to keep the commentary to a minimum and concentrate on the photos. So, get ready for a whirlwind tour of the August highlights at Hayefield. Let’s start with the perennials and shrubs…
Althaea officinalis (marsh mallow) Angelica sylvestris ‘Ebony’ (angelica) Aristolochia fimbriata (white-veined Dutchman’s pipe) Asclepias incarnata (swamp milkweed) with monarch butterfly Asclepias verticillata (whorled milkweed) Boehmeria tricuspis Chasmanthium latifolium (northern sea oats) Chelone glabra (white turtlehead) Datisca cannabina (false hemp), female Datisca cannabina (false hemp), male Deschampsia cespitosa (tufted hair grass) Eutrochium maculatum ‘Carin’ (Joe-Pye weed) Filipendula rubra (queen of the prairie) seedhead Helenium puberulum (rosilla) Iris domestica ‘Hello Yellow’ (blackberry lily) Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ (hybrid lily) Lobelia siphilitica ‘Alba’ (white great blue lobelia) Lobelia siphilitica (great blue lobelia) Lobelia spicata (pale-spiked lobelia) Ludwigia alternifolia (seedbox) Lycium ruthenicum (black goji berry) Lycoris squamigera (surprise lily) Patrinia scabiosifolia (golden lace) Phytolacca americana ‘Sunny Side Up’ (golden pokeweed) Rhus copallina (winged sumac) Rosa rugosa (rugosa rose) with Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii (Deam’s orange coneflower) Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’ (sweet coneflower) Rudbeckia triloba ‘Prairie Glow’ (brown-eyed Susan) Sanguisorba tenuifolia var. alba (white Japanese burnet) Sanguisorba tenuifolia var. purpurea (purple Japanese burnet) Scabiosa ochroleuca (yellow pincushion flower) Silphium mohrii (Mohr’s rosinweed) Silphium perfoliatum (cup plant) Solidaster luteus (solidaster) Vitex negundo ‘Heterophylla’ (cut-leaved chaste tree)
Some annuals and tender perennials that are looking particularly good now…
Amaranthus ‘Elephant Head’ (amaranth) Asclepias curassavica (tropical milkweed) Basella rubra (Malabar spinach) Canvalia gladiata (sword bean) Celosia argentea var. cristata ‘Cramer’s Burgundy’ (cockscomb) Celosia argentea var. cristata ‘Variegata’ (cockscomb) Centaurea americana (American basketflower) Ceratotheca triloba ‘Alba’ (white South African foxglove) Ceratotheca triloba (South African foxglove) Chamaecrista fasciculata (partridge pea) Cicer arietinum ‘Black Kabouli’ (garbanzo bean) Cicer arietinum ‘Black Kabouli’ (garbanzo bean) Coix lacryma-jobi (Job’s tears) Coreopsis tinctoria (plains coreopsis) Cuphea viscosissima (blue waxweed) Dactylicapnos torulosa, formerly Dicentra torulosa (Chinese climbing bleeding heart) Emilia javanica ‘Scarlet Magic’ (tassel flower) with monarch butterfly Eragrostis tef (teff) Euphorbia marginata (snow on the mountain) Fagopyrum esculentum ‘Takane Ruby’ (buckwheat) Gomphrena globosa (globe amaranth)—a hot pink form I am working on Gomphrena haageana ‘Strawberry Fields’ (globe amaranth) Melothria scabra (cucamelon) Oryza sativa ‘Black Madras’ (rice) Pavonia missionum (red mallow) Pennisetum glaucum ‘Jester’ (purple millet) Phaseolus lunatus ‘Ping Zebra’ (lima bean) seeds—with blue fingers from dyeing with Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese indigo) The beautiful blue produced by Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese indigo) on silk Persicaria tinctoria (Japanese indigo) Polanisia dodecandra (redwhisker clammyweed) Scabiosa stellata (drumstick scabious) Solanum quitoense (bed of nails) Tagetes patula ‘Cinnabar’ (French marigold) Tagetes patula ‘Kees’ Orange’ (African marigold) Zinnia tenuifolia ‘Red Spider’ (red spider zinnia)
And to finish, some general garden shots and combinations…
Zinnia elegans ‘Queen Lime Orange’ (zinnia) in front of swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata) Ammobium alatum (winged everlasting) with Phytolacca americana ‘Sunny Side Up’ (golden pokeweed) Echinacea laevigata (smooth coneflower) in front garden outer border Eryngium yuccifolium (rattlesnake master) and Veronicastrum virginicum (Culver’s root) in the Long Border Lilium ‘Black Beauty’ in the courtyard Eutrochium maculatum (Joe-Pye weed) in the lower meadow Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’ (Japanese blood grass) with Hosta ‘Sun Power’, Rudbeckia fulgida var. deamii (Deam’s orange coneflower), Acer palmatum (a NOID Japanese maple), and Physocarpus opulifolius ‘Monlo’ (Diabolo ninebark) Hemerocallis ‘Autumn Minaret’ with Eutrochium maculatum (Joe-Pye weed) in the side garden Hibiscus ‘Midnight Marvel’ with Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Tanna’ (burnet) Imperata cylindrica ‘Rubra’ (Japanese blood grass) with Euphorbia stricta ‘Golden Foam’ (golden foam spurge), Anthriscus sylvestris ‘Golden Fleece’ (cow parsley), and Persicaria affinis (dwarf fleeceflower) Sanguisorba officinalis ‘Tanna’ (burnet) with Tanacetum vulgare ‘Isla Gold’ (tansy)
Well, I hope you enjoyed the tour today. I’m headed back out the the Seed Garden to catch up on seed collecting. May your own garden bring you much joy this season!

So many amazing plants! The bans on your blue hands are beautiful! 🙂 And that little mouse melon!
Happy Bloom Day, Clark. You get the credit for sharing the cucamelon seeds—thanks so much!
-Nan
Wow, Nan! The garden looks glorious.
Thanks so much, Sandy! We have been SO lucky to get rain.
-Nan
Your gardens are spectacular!!!
You’re so kind, Charissa; many thanks!
-Nan
A wonderful display. Thanks to your generosity, my Red Spider Zinnias continue to grow. I save seeds each fall and simply sow them after the danger of frost is past in the spring. I love the bright red blooms!
Verna
Oh, how lovely to hear that! I’ve been having trouble getting seeds from mine this year because the goldfinches are getting them first. I hope they will start going to the bigger zinnias I have left for them.
-Nancy
What a wonderful tour of so much beauty! Thank you
Thank *you* for taking the time to visit, Carol. Happy Bloom Day!
-Nan
‘Golden’ pokeweed? Isn’t pokeweed an aggressively invasive exotic species there, golden or otherwise?
Hi Tony! Phytolacca americana is native to much of the United States. The species certainly can be aggressive by seeding around. In my experience, both the variegated and golden forms can self-sow but aren’t as vigorous.
-Nan
Thank you for the uplifting post💕
Super to hear from you, Nora. I hope you and your garden are thriving!
-Nan
Such beautiful variety in your gardens, Nan. And such beautiful photos. I’m afraid you’re going to inspire me to overplant my limited space again. You make me love too many of your plants! —Vicki
Hah, sorry about that, Vicki. I’d put a warning at the beginning of the post, but by now, I figure anyone that’s still visiting on Bloom Day knows what to expect!
-Nan
Always so exciting to see your posts. Such an amazing variety of plants! Especially love the yellow clouds of Patrinia scabiosifolia and the hot pink stems with lime green leaves of the Phytolacca americana ‘sunny side up’.
Gosh, yes, both are looking great right now–especially the patrinia. Thanks for stopping by, Esme!
-Nan
Somehow I thought ‘Autumn Minaret’ daylily was orange. Now I want one. I am just astounded by the variety in your gardens. I, too, have been thankful for the rain we’ve gotten–although we seem to be in a dry spell now.
Hey there, Kathy. Seen from the side, the flowers are a softer version of rudbeckia yellow. Face on, they have orange stripes inside. They’re quite tall and face different directions, so the overall look is more yellow than orange to my eye. I think it would look great in your garden. I hope you get some rain soon—maybe some of what we’re supposed to get here mid-week.
-Nan
I never cease to be amazed by your spectacular garden, Nan. I’m a little in love with the cucamelons and may have to try that somewhere next year. I’m guessing they need regular water, which is a limiting factor on what I grow now but perhaps I could try it on a small scale in a container.
They really are adorable! They make a nice snack in the garden too. I think they could probably do well in a container with some support, and maybe some pruning.
-Nan
I always find something new to love from your posts, but wow the black goji berry flowers are absolutely charming me! Also, I admire your success with the black madras rice. I have struggled to keep it alive after germination, but yours looks so happy and healthy.
I am very excited about the black goji berry. The plants were easy to start from seed; this one, from last year’s sowing, is the first one to flower. The plants aren’t much to look at but the flowers are beautiful. And yes, the rice is thriving this year, with the heat and rain. I too find it kind of touchy at the beginning of the summer, but once it settles in, it’s gorgeous!
-Nan
very beautiful, uplifting and calming!
Thank you so much, Karen, for visiting and for leaving such a nice comment!
-Nan
What a wonderful tour! It’s a pleasure to see and to know these Northern Hemisphere beauties! Specially in such spectacular photos. Thank you.
I’m glad to hear that you enjoyed the virtual tour, Orlando. Thank you for visiting!
-Nan