Early September Blooms at the Farm
My flower cutting garden continues to produce beautiful blooms during these last few weeks of summer.
Fortunately, there are many flowering plants that blossom this time of year, including rudbeckias, dahlias and phlox - and my garden, located just behind my main greenhouse, is filled with them.
I really enjoy comparing the progress of my gardens from one week to the next, and from year to year. I like to know what helps or hinders their growth, where I need to add more plants, and how I can improve their health and display for the following season. Here are some photos of what’s blooming in my flower garden now - enjoy.
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- So many beautiful flowers continue to bloom in my cutting garden.
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- There are several tall, round arbors covered with morning glory vines, which are flourishing.
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- They have such a delicate and pretty shape before they unfold in the sun.
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- Morning glories, Ipomoea purpurea, come in a variety of colors. The flowers bloom from early summer to the first frost. Their big, fragrant flowers attract butterflies and hummingbirds.
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- ‘Heavenly Blue’ is the classic morning glory with the rich azure flower and white throat.
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- ‘Grandpa Ott’s’ is a vigorous climber that has dark blue flowers with a reddish star in the throat. Morning glory vines grow quickly – up to 15-feet in one season.
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- Dahlias belong to the Asteraceae family along with daisies and sunflowers. They are summer blooming tubers that are generally only hardy in USDA zones 7 through 11.
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- Dahlias originated as wildflowers in the high mountain regions of Mexico and Guatemala – that’s why they naturally work well and bloom happily in cooler temperatures.
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- The majority of dahlia species do not produce scented flowers or cultivars, but they are brightly colored to attract pollinating insects.
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- Rudbeckias are easy-to-grow perennials featuring golden, daisylike flowers with black or purple centers, and include the popular black-eyed Susan.
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- Rudbeckia’s bright flowers look so beautiful planted in masses in my garden.
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- These flowers are relatively drought-tolerant and disease-resistant and depending on the variety, can grow two to six feet tall.
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- The genus Cosmos has at least 20-species of annual and perennial plants. The disk flowers are red or yellow. The ray flowers, sometimes notched, may be white, pink, red, or purple.
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- Cosmos are prized for their abundant, silky, daisylike flowers and their easy to care for care nature.
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- Zinnia flowers are one of the easiest plants to grow – and they grow quickly, and bloom heavily.
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- The name of the genus derives from the German botanist, Johann Gottfried Zinn. The common zinnia of gardens, Zinnia elegans, is also called youth-and-old-age.
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- Of the approximately 20 known species of zinnia, only four are commonly grown. These species and their numerous cultivars offer flowers in every color except blue, brown and black. Some zinnias also feature multicolored blooms.
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- Zinnias are upright plants with heights ranging from less than 10-inches to more than 40-inches, depending on the cultivar. They have a spread of 12 to 24 inches and grow quickly in sites that receive at least six-hours of direct sunlight daily.
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- Pinching the stems back in early summer helps promote more profuse blooming, because each new shoot develops flower buds.
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- The plant thrives in intense summer heat and often blooms until early fall.
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- Scabiosa is a genus in the honeysuckle family of flowering plants. Another common name for members of this genus is pincushion flowers.
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- These are called ‘green hairy balls’, Gomphocarpus physocarpus. It’s a large plant, often more than six-feet tall. In late summer, it is covered in two-inch, golden green, hairy seedpods. The cut branches last for weeks and add an unusual touch to any bouquet.
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- Lavatera are found growing in the wild throughout the world including Russia, Australia, Europe and the US. It is a popular plant with gardeners because of their large, showy flowers which produced for long periods in summer.
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- The honeybees love the sunflowers. Sunflower is the only flower with flower in its name! “Helianthus” is the scientific name of Sunflower, Helia for Sun and Anthus for Flower. Sunflowers are the symbol of faith, loyalty and adoration.
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- Ageratum houstonianum, a native of Mexico, is among the most commonly planted ageratum variety. Ageratums have soft, round, fluffy flowers in various shades of blue, pink or white—with blue being most common.
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- The ageratum flower blooms from spring until fall and is so beautiful when grown in clumps in the garden.
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- Nicotiana is a genus of herbaceous plants and shrubs of the family Solanaceae, that is indigenous to the Americas, Australia, south west Africa and the South Pacific.
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- It is also called Tobacco Flower, or Flowering Tobacco – and yes, Nicotiana has high concentrations of nicotine.
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- When in bloom, phlox are covered with groups of small, sweet-smelling, star-shaped flowers from clean white to pale pastel, including pink, red, lavender and purple.
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- Snapdragons are known for wispy jaw-like upper and lower petals. A single stem averages 10 to 15 of these unique blooms, grouped closely together.
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- And, of course there is the rose – my climbing roses growing along the fence were transplanted a few years ago from my home in East Hampton – they continue to thrive here at Cantitoe Corners.
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