It’s been two weeks since I last posted the Tuesday View as Cathy was away, which gave me the excuse to take a week off!
The annuals are the biggest stars in the garden right now and I am happy with their exuberance.
Along the back, purple, pink and white cleome (C. hassleriana) mix with white, dark and light pink cosmos (C. bipinnatus ‘Sensation Mix’), and dots of zinnias (Z. elegans ‘County Fair Mix’).
Calendulas (C. officinalis) are mixed throughout as they basically have a mind of their own. In the back, the one giant sunflower continues to grow higher and is finally blooming. It has started to lean and I hope it doesn’t topple, but at 14-feet, I’m not sure there’s much I can do to stop it. I’ve counted 31 buds on it, so I hope they get a chance to bloom.
On the right, through the middle, pink and white phlox (P. paniculata) continue to bloom, along with white flowering tobacco (Nicotiana alata), pink coneflowers (Echinacea purpurea), and the perpetual lamb’s ears (Stachys byzantina). I took a shot that included the field of goldenrod (Solidago altissima) behind the garden and a bit of the katsura tree (Cercidiphyllum japonicum) that has started to turn yellow, weeks ahead of schedule. The drought has pushed most trees to turn color early.
Cosmos, zinnias and cleome
I’m linking with Cathy at Words and Herbs, joining participants taking weekly photos of the same garden over the course of the growing season to note its evolution.
Below are some of the previous views for comparison:
April 1, 2016
June 11, 2016
June 28, 2016
July 26, 2016
August 2, 2016
August 16, 2016
August 23, 2016
Eliza Waters 
Wow the garden looks stunning with these many flowers 🙂 they add so much life to the otherwise plain ground 🙂
Thank you, Aishwarya. That’s why we love our gardens!
Loveliness!
Thank you, Cindy!
July 26 looks like the garden is at it’s happiest. I was stopped in my tracks, though, when you mentioned how your annuals are doing. Hmmm, annuals as in you have to replant annually. I know it sounds silly to 4-season ears, but to 1.5 season ears, I’m just thinking of all that work, just to bid farewell.
Thank you, Micheal. I think you’re right. August begins the slow wind down. There are pros and cons to annuals. They provide months of color, whereas most perennials maybe have a few weeks at most. One always gets to rearrange them or try something new each year, so the variety makes up for the little bit of tending in the spring. They are pretty self-sufficent once established. Mulching makes the job much easier!
Bidding farewell is truly such sweet sorrow, to borrow from Shakespeare. Part of me welcomes the respite, but our dormant period is agonizingly long! I miss the flowers, greenery and fresh air inside the house so much in winter.
I see your point about annuals giving the opportunity to change things up; like re-arranging furniture, huh? And, I didn’t know that annuals last longer than perennials. We have lots of fresh air in CA in the winter, and even have some perennials to share too. Just sayin’
Ha, like moving furniture, yes!
I expect I will have to come out this winter and give them a good, long look! 😉
My what a awesome garden you have!
Thank you!
The border is looking better than ever, It’s lovely to see the previous pictures too; what a change there has been over the past few months.
Thank you, Christina. This meme has been enjoyable, seeing the growth and contrast. It helps with planning, too.
I am amazed at all the colour still – cosmos and cleome are great later in the year aren’t they, and the zinnias add more depth to the colour too. The white Nicotiana also adds a lot of light to the overall view. Do you need to water this border if you are suffering a dry period? Do your annuals seed themselves and do you think you will grow the same ones next year? I will definitely try adding Cleome to the rockery instead of just pots next year. Thanks for joining me again Eliza, and have a good week!
Thank you, Cathy. I only watered when the zinnia and cosmos were seedlings, but once established, they’ve been holding their own with the few inches we had since June. The ground is powder-dry where there is no mulch. Mulch is good for weed control, too.
Cleome, nicotiana and calendula are faithful self-sowers and I thin and move them around in spring. The cosmos are new this year, but I’ve heard that they can sow themselves. The birds like their seeds, so we’ll have to see. I think I’d like to do some shorter zinnias along the front next year with nigella, as the nicotiana get overwhelming so close to the front. I get fooled every year with those tiny, innocent seedlings! Have a good end of week.
Riot of color! Lovely.
Thank you!
It is absolutely gorgeous, I too am amazed at all the colour so late in the summer. Here in our garden in SW France it is a slightly different story, we have had just one day of rain since the end of June! the vegetables and tubs on the terrace I water from our well so they are thriving, we have red geraniums everywhere, but the lawn is brown and crunchy underfoot and the main flower beds are looking slightly sad, devoid of much colour at all now.
Thank you. Even though we’ve had a dry summer, there were just enough showers to keep things going. We’re still about 8″ below average. When do your rains return?
I am really impressed with the amount of colour you still have. Wonderful. Mine is looking rather drab at the moment!
Thank you. The annuals really add the last hurrah!
What a giant sunflower! Bees love them! The birds must love the seeds! Cleomes are gorgeous…I have a lilacy one this year, hummingbirds really enjoy the nectar.
Thanks, Alice. I love to stand in my garden and listen to all the visitors hum, buzz and twitter!
Beautiful Eliza! Thanks for showing the progression. Each season has its own kind of lovely.
Indeed it does. I am amazed when I look back to the bare ground and see how things have grown and filled in. Thanks for your visit, Julie!
Oh, those cosmos around that blue! Love it!
Thank you, Laurie. My garden is definitely a happy place these days!
Glad to hear it! Mine, on the other hand, are more than a little ragged. They are always this way come late summer, but with the drought we’ve been having, it’s even worse. Ah, well! The porch beauties still look good. That is something.
Any spot of color makes us happy. 🙂
I love how the pinks and whites have replaced the vibrant yellows – not what I would think would happen as we transition to fall!
Yes, my garden is in denial (just like me!) 😉
I’m in that club as well!
Your garden’s progress has been a joy to watch, Eliza. These types of posts are instructive as we make planting plans, so thank you!
Thank You! I’m glad to share. It is challenging to have a whole garden look good all season, although there can be something happening if you plan it. This one is planned for when we are outside using the deck, June to Sept. If we didn’t have a vole problem, I’d plant tulips in it for spring, but alliums seem to be my only choice.
Still beautiful and i love seeing each month.
Thank you very much, Gigi.
It is all looking very vibrant. Cosmos and cleome are such hard working plants.
Yes, they are real winners carrying the day.
Annuals are such good value plants at this time is year, yours are certainly paying you a divided. The cosmos look great.
Thank you kindly, Brian. Seeds are definitely a great value!
Your flower garden is beautiful. It looks so peaceful. Do you write and update you blog, while sitting in the middle of your garden? I definitely would.
Thank you, Vinny. No, I only visit the garden late in the day and mostly view it from the deck above, which is nicely shaded. 🙂
No problem. I forgot about the heat. Yeah, I wouldnt want to be sitting in the garden this time of the year either.
Thanks for responding.
I appreciate your visit!
What gorgeous shots.
Thank you, Fi. 🙂
I had just been reminded how much I love phlox for late summer color (and fragrance!), so your post certainly adds to that! Can’t grow it here, I’m sure, as I used to have trouble keeping it from wilting even in my Kansas City garden; it would bloom about the time we always had high temps but no rain… Your Echinacea is lovely along the front of the bed! Thanks for posting the ‘time-lapse’ photos; it’s wonderful to watch the changes!
Thank you! Phlox is a nice, long-flowering perennial. I agree, the fragrance is nice, too. I’ve enjoyed Cathy’s meme, seeing the growth and changes. It’s a great record to refer back to come winter.
Looks very nice!
Gracias!
If ever there was a question of whether it is worth sowing annuals, your flower bed demonstrates exactly why we should. Absolutely delightful Eliza.
Thank you, Dorris. It is well worth it!
So very beautiful 🙂
Thank you, Melanie.