It makes sense for flowers to bloom in spring. Winter is too cool, windy and damp for both flowers and the insects that pollinate many of them. By summer, successfully pollinated flowers have faded, are busy making seed to disperse in autumn. Some plants produce fruit to get birds and other animals to disperse their seed. There are certain advantages to blooming early in the spring.
Native plants that are endemic to chaparral climates are quicker with bloom, so that they finish before the air gets too arid. Desert plants might bloom for less than a week. Some tropical plants might bloom whenever they want to because they do not understand the concept of seasons, but they are not the prominent plants in our gardens. Therefore, flowers get scarce this time of year.
Besides the few perennials and annuals that bloom as long as the weather stays warm, there are not many plants that bloom reliably so late in summer. Belladonna lily, which is also known as naked lady, might be one of the flashiest, as its bright pink flowers bloom on top of bare stalks before the low basal foliage develops. It was actually dormant through the warmest part of summer.
Billowy and bold pampas grass flowers bloom this time of year, but are uncommon. The boldest type of pampas grass is too big and difficult to manage for home gardens. The smaller type has dingy tan flowers, and is so invasive and weedy that it is unavailable in nurseries. Those of us who have it in our gardens did not plant it. Other grasses with nice late flowers are not very colorful.
Russian sage has become one of the more popular late blooming perennials. More traditional Japanese anemone, goldenrod, lion’s tail and showy stonecrop all seem to have lost popularity over the years. Mexican blue sage should bloom best late in summer, but often finishes sooner than expected. Yarrow often blooms later than expected, until summer ends. Marigold, blanket flower and some sunflowers bloom until frost. Chrysanthemums, whether grown as annuals or perennials, are just beginning late in summer.
I’m looking forward to the annual seedlings I’ve planted this year starting to flower. Hopefully we will get rain for them
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Well, . . . your seasons are six months ahead or behind ours, so yours will be just beginning instead of just finishing.
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I grinned when I saw that pair of what appear to be small agaves in the mix. They brought to mind your previous post about those darlings.
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Those things in front are some sort of aloe. I do not know the species. They are actually set back a bit from the curb. However, the leaves sometimes get broken. The big variegated specimen in back is a furcraea of some sort. It lack sharp spines. This is Brent’s front garden, and is way too crowded.
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Perfect timing for this post. You’ve given me some good ideas of what to plant now to bring back some color to our border garden and hanging flower baskets.
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Just make sure it is correct for you climate before you go looking for it. The article was written for here.
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Thanks. I live here. I’m the blogger who posts about Alviso and the Bay Area among other great places. 😀
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Oh, of course. My articles start in the Santa Clara Valley, and if necessary, are modified as they move outward from there. However, they are all the same online.
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