This is the journal of my endeavours to grow a range of fruit, veg and flowers from seed, grow organically, and my attempts to create a personal paradise with 1/2 acre of maintained gardens and 1/2 acre wild meadows. Northern Ireland's average daily high temperatures are 18 °C (64 °F) in July and 6 °C (43 °F) in January. Soil type: Clay

Friday 19 September 2014

September Flowers


September has been very dry. I can't recall any rain this month, not in the last 2 weeks anyway. It's been fairly warm and the late summer flowers are joining forces with the annuals and other plants that are still showing their summer colour. 

The plants in this post are more recent additions to the garden and them seem to be very good value, adding late summer colour.

Left: Rudbeckia Goldsturm I purchased this plant in a plant clearance and it's a great wee plant.

Above: Gaillardia 'Arizona Sun' - this plant seems to get better and better each year. In its 2nd year it has been flowering from early Summer and seems to have lots more to give.
Above: Agapanthus - in its first year, it has had giant white flower heads for a few weeks that are now finishing.

Above: Tall phlox is starting to finish and has brought a nice bright splash of late colour.
Above: Hydrangea 'Magical Moonlight' (a free gift from Spalding Plant Company) has some nice long flower heads and goes from white to cream to pink tinted. Its been flowering most of the summer.
Above and below: Moths and butterflies are really enjoying the Verbena - one of my favourite plants. Its been flowering all summer and is a great plant for a cottage style garden.

Copyright: All words and photos are property of Kelli's Northern Ireland Garden.

12 comments:

  1. We call our gaillardia blanket flower here and it blooms profusely and reseeds itself. I planted a blue agapanthus late this summer, so it will bloom next summer. My mother in law call it Bare Naked Lady. September has been dry here, too and hot. Your garden additions have added good color and lasting blooms. Very pretty. Have a wonderful week end, Kelli.

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  2. Great photos, those flowers and butterflies are lovely :o)

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  3. My rudbeckia doesn't look as god as yours =what conditions do you grow yours in?

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    1. Hi Sue, it's in dry, clay, rocky soil. Not very good soil at all. However, I do feed it occasionally with homemade comfrey feed.

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  4. Ha-ha, you don't often write "it's been dry here", Kelli ! We have had the same - I have watered the garden with the hosepipe a couple of times recently, because it was looking really parched. Your Gaillardia looks fantastic. I had one last year, but it got killed off by the frost during the Winter. Maybe yours will self-seed like Ann describes...

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  5. Oh, I am envious of your butterfly visitors to your verbena! So pretty! I love verbena also, it is suppose to self seed but I have not had luck with that yet. I hope it does for you as, like you said, it is a perfect plant for cottage gardens.

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  6. Your flowers are so beautiful. I especially like the blanket flower (Gaillardia) and the spiked looking hydrangea. I don't think I have seen that variety and it is very pretty.

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  7. We have a dry September too and lots of sunshine. You have lovely flowers in your garden, Rudbeckias and gaillardias are great autumn flowers.

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  8. It's very dry here as well....freezing one day and hot the next. Your plants are wonderful. The Gaillardia is perfect. Mine has never looked so beautiful....and I love the Phlox with a white eye.

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  9. Some beautiful blooms. I especially like the hydrangea, they're so beautiful just as they're fading and their petals change colour.

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  10. Some lovely blooms.They are all things that I should be able to grow here in NW Lancashire.I had some good Rudbeckia years ago but then lost it when I did a major change round in my garden and have failed to successfully replace it since.Must give it another go ,after all I can grow sunflowers now!
    Your Gaillardia are as spectacular as any that I've seen in Madeira.

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  11. What a beautiful garden! I really love your flowers!
    Regards from Anne-Kristin in Norway

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