Mid-August is the hottest part of summer for us in Southeast Texas. In addition, all our lovely showers from spring and early summer seem to have ended and suddenly things are very, very dry. I've had to deploy the sprinklers to keep some of my plants from succumbing to the heat and dry conditions.
Even so, in spite of hostile conditions, August has its blooms. Here are some of them.
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In the little pond, the water lilies are blooming. Those pellets surrounding the blossom are food for the goldfish. |
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Also in the pond, the pickerel weed is going strong. |
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And beside the pond, the swamp hibiscus that we call Texas Star is sending out its daily blooms. |
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The 4 O'clocks are full of their blooms as well. |
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The almond verbena with its small blossoms that carry a big fragrance that scents the entire section of the garden where the big shrub lives. |
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Even though it has been dry, the humidity has been high and that has been enough to keep the Texas sage in bloom. |
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In the veggie garden, most of the vegetables have pooped out in the heat but the okra just gets stronger and more prolific. |
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August is brugmansia blooming time. |
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And it is datura blooming time. |
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The milk and wine lilies are past their prime now, but this picture, taken a few days ago, shows them in their full beauty. |
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The Philippine lilies also are now a bit past their prime but have bloomed gloriously this month. |
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The cypress vines that reseed themselves every year are going strong and providing lots of their tiny trumpet-shaped blossoms for the butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds that love them. |
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Porterweed has been a reliable bloomer this summer. |
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And so has the cosmos. The bumblebees are grateful! |
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You can see why the common name for this plant is "flame acanthus." Its blossoms do indeed look like little tongues of flame. |
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Pink purslane brightens its corner of the garden. |
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The butterfly ginger is in full bloom now. |
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Camphor weed is just beginning its long bloom time. |
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It has not been a good year for roses in my garden. Most of them have not done well at all, but I can always depend on the old 'Caldwell Pink' roses to give me lots of blooms. |
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The evergreen wisteria is filling up with these wine-colored blossoms.
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Summer is beginning its long wind-down period as it slips inexorably toward autumn, but as it's winding down, we still enjoy the bright colors of the many flowers that we gardeners live for. I hope your garden is giving you lots of color on this Bloom Day. Thank you for stopping by my garden.
Don't forget to visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens as she once again hosts Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day.
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