Tropical Heat

Mandevilla on Aunt V's porch

Angel's Trumpet or Brugmansia at Aunt V

A look inside

Exotic bloom

  

Tuberous begonia

Hibiscus moscheutos

                                                                       

My canna in a half whisky barrel

As July is coming to an end, the season of optimum perennial bloom is fading fast.  Those dog days (technically July 3 to August 11) of summer are upon us. The grass is still quite green this year but the vibrancy of all the natural greens is fading. The many insects are also doing their damage. Leaves are becoming holey and before I snap a closeup I sometimes have to blow a creature out of the flower's throat.

The golden yellow rudbeckia dominate, for better or for worse, the sedum and ornamental grasses are beginning to show their stuff and mums have a few blooms. We have to wait until fall for the next spectacular show of color here in Michigan. Of course, my opinion.

However, the annual flowers  sustain us with some bright colors. At Erica's house today the marigold, zinnia, coleus and blue salvia continue to bloom and grow.

Also, the hot-hued tropical plants are very popular and have been enjoying the steamy weather this summer.

I have saved some yellow tuberous begonias in two hanging baskets for years--they nearly die of neglect overwintering in the basement, but always come back to astound me when brought outdoors and watered in the spring.

Rose of Sharon

Even in completely unkempt front yards of economically disadvantaged neighborhoods around town I see prolific blooms on the Rose of Sharon (Althea, Syrian Hibiscus) shrubs and small trees, one other example of surprising beauty in the late summer landscape. (When I think of hibiscus, I think southern and tropical). The other hardy hibiscus that survives in this zone (H. moscheutos) was beginning to flower this week, in pink and white and red--packing quite a punch with its huge bloom size. I stopped the car twice on a nearby street to capture the beauty. (Didn't have time to stop when I saw a gorgeous red one).

Blooming on the street?

Some canna bulbs were being given away three years ago and I didn't really feel like saving them in the basement, but yet I did, and they do add some bright red drama to the yard at this time of the year. A recent Horticulture magazine article actually refers to the canna as drama queens.

Here is the one in the pond and yes, it is growing just fine with its soggy bottom:

Canna in the pond