Scary Monster Cardoon

The 6ft tall old dried stalk of Cardoon is starting to grow again from the base

The dried heads are scary enough for Halloween

Before the Rain

This afternoon I cut the drying Hydrangea macrophylla flower heads.
This is the perfect time to cut them as they begin to dry on the bush but before the go brown. Cut off the leaves or you will have a lot of clean up.
Some of mine had begun to go brown but I love them anyway.
 These dried flowers last years.
With all the early rain this summer the flower heads are huge,
 rush out & cut yours, so much better than 'silk' or plastic imitations. 

The tide clock frame was made by my father, 91 this month
He lives in Dorset England & is now nearly blind & very hard of hearing
But when he retired he took up wood turning, this is one of his projects

My husband made this pegged picture frame (no fastenings except wooden pegs)
for the Ivey Hayes print. He cut the wood and stripped it to make the frame at our last garden.

The print in the photo is an Ivey Hayes picture of an old barn
He was an African American painter of Rocky Point NC (1948-2012)
When I lived in the area these paintings spoke to me
I can feel the heat from that sandy road in July & August

Hardy Hibiscus

Easily grown from seed (& I did ) this 'dinner plate' Hibiscus moscheutos native to swampy areas but happy in the circle especially this year with all the regular rain is my husband's favorite color .

Garden Phlox still blooming in the foreground 

This Imperial moth found under the bird feeder has expired.

I read they hatch out in the morning then mate the next night at midnight!

Life is fleeting, enjoy it while you can

Will they run out of Parsley?

So many eggs of the swallowtail butterfly have hatched
 I am afraid the caterpillars will runout of food.

Hot Lips

Salvia microphylla 'Hot Lips' planted around the circle veggie garden has formed a hedge in two years.
Planted to discourage deer browsing of plants growing on the fence it attracts lots of pollinating insects.
Of course now the roots are in my good veggie growing soil, no wonder it is doing so well!

Sulphur butterflies enjoying Hot Lips

Silphium

Not sure which Silphium (Cup or Compass Plant) this is.

I think I got it several years ago from Plant Delights but it was at my previous garden

Aldo Leopold wrote
in 'A Sand Country Almanac' published first in 1949

"What a thousand acres of Silphiums looked like when they tickled the bellies of buffalo
 is a question never again  to be answered,  and perhaps  not even asked"

A conservationist and ecologist he was lamenting the highway department mowing down these roadside flowers in his native Wisconsin.

In my garden this plant travels fast, so,  not for everybody and it seems to resent drought at bloom time. Some years it is fabulous others not so. It is my tribute to Aldo though.

After a Little Rain

       Rain Lilies!

La Buffa Rosa Rain Lily and Santa Barbara Daisy(Erigeron karvinskianus)

The Seashore Mallow (Kosteletskya virginica) is putting on a lovely display.
It really wilts badly in dry weather but in the morning it is quite breathtaking.

This is three plants
The original came from Messenbrinks nursery in Tarboro
sadly no longer around

Cestrum 'Orange Peel'

Mine came from Tony Avent's 'Plant Delights' near Raleigh NC.
I first saw this in Judy Thomas's garden in Rocky Point NC.
Judy thought it better than Buddleia, I think I agree, though only one color
Looks a bit yellow in these photos but really is orange

Mine is planted facing south in full sun

As you may know, I do not water plants after they are established and this shrub seems unfazed by fluctuating rainfall.

Dies back in winter like Buddleia but never stops blooming
spring to frost. This year I cut back a couple of stems to control size
 but dead heading seems unnecessary.
 Supposedly fragrant at night. I'll have to check that out as soon as it cools off
This is next to Salvia 'Indigo Spires' for that blue yellow (orange) combination.
The Japanese Maple 'Fireglow' behind is only visible in the spring
Cestrum is a big plant so leaves a big hole in the winter/ early spring

Fruits of August

Blooming Dawn Redwood?

 This Dawn Redwood tree
 (Metasequoia glyptostroboides)
looks as if it is blooming.

 A Formosa Lily seeded under the tree
 gets more flowers each year
 despite the rabbits eating all the lower leaves.

Dawn Redwood was thought to be extinct 
only found in fossils. Discovered in the 1940's
in China all the 'new' trees come from that 
stock. Mine came from Nancy Goodwin's
'Montrose' in Hillsborough NC. Where you
can see a huge one. There is also one at
 the Pitt County Arboretum   http://pitt.ces.ncsu.edu/Pitt+County+Arboretum/

Lilium formosanum

After being away for a fortnight the dry weather has arrived.
The garden looks a bit parched but some things continue to bloom.

Formosa Lily has so many seeds it pops up everywhere in the garden making
plenty to share

Over 9 ft tall at the back of the house
no doubt due to all the rain earlier in the summer

This Lily is on the top of my list for "Plants that die well"
The seed pods are attractive & peel open to spread
hundreds of delicate seeds packed in like 'Pringles'!
Good for dried arrangements 

Notice the delicate pink stripes on the trumpet of the newly opened flower