This quirky seedling dahlia bloom makes me smile, as does the thought of this ordeal of a summer being just about over. We’ve had a bit of rain in the last month—appreciated even though well short of what’s needed—and it’s getting finally getting a little cooler, adding a touch of fall to the air. It’s surprising to think that the growing season could well be over by this time next month! In the meantime, there are still many pretty things to enjoy.
The summer continues to be dry here in southeastern PA, but we are finally getting a break from the heat for a bit—a blessing for which the garden and I are very grateful. It’s amazing to see how well many of the plants are holding up, considering the tough conditions they’ve been through. Despite the challenges, there’s still plenty to see, so let’s get started!
After a very promising start to the growing season, the previously reliable rains have disappeared, making gardening a lot less enjoyable over the past month. Still, I know that many of you are enduring much worse drought, so I won’t whine about it further, I promise. Instead, let’s focus what is still looking ok despite the less-than-ideal growing conditions.
To mix things up a bit, I’m organizing the plants by color this time. I chose the photo above for the very first spot, because it didn’t fit well anywhere else due to the mix of colors. It was supposed to be Linaria ‘Plummy’, a blue-purple-flowered cross of L. purpurea and L. dalmatica from Plant World Seeds. The seeds produced a variety of colors, including pinks, purples, cream, and white, on plants that all look like L. purpurea. Though the results weren’t what I expected, I can’t say that I’m disappointed: the mix is very pretty, and the bumblebees certainly are enjoying the bountiful blooms.
