Summer's Last Symphony

We’re often asked what’s blooming in the heat of the moment, especially at odd times of the year where it often seems the landscape is lacking in color variety. The end of August to the beginning of September can be a confounding time for the uninitiated, those unfamiliar with the bounty of warm jewel tones found in an array of both native and ornamental plant selections. Truthfully, some of these perennials benefit from a Chelsea chop mid-summer to encourage a flush of fall blooms, but that’s not to say that late summer color isn’t possible, or that every plant requires this seasonal maintenance - you just need to know where to look.

Fiery reds and oranges, magenta and violet purples, golden yellows and soft baby pinks can be found punctuating the landscape from Midwestern prairies to Mid-Atlantic coastlines. The abundance of bright reds belonging to Lobelia cardinalis, Silene virginica, and Lonicera sempervirens ‘Major Wheeler’ appear just in time for busy hummingbirds to stock up on nutrients and carbohydrates prior to their upcoming southern migration, while Monarch butterflies benefit from a variety of plant hosts, delighting in Liatris aspera nectar and often visiting the grapefruit and tangerine-colored blooms of one of its necessary larval hosts, Asclepias tuberosa. Alternatively, the astilbe-like spires of native Spiraea species, such as S. alba and S. tomentosa, despite their less fluorescent pastel pink and ivory hues, are fully alive with a motley crew of pollinators.

Now is the perfect time to schedule a visit and see what we have growing on! Make sure also to check out our availability for regularly updated comments designed to make planning your next order even easier.