Cait's Garden

We gardeners love to make jokes about this flower, because the name is so at odds with its behavior in the garden. I’m told it was named this way because the flower stems are easy to bend and work with in flower arranging, which may be true. I’m not one for bringing cut flowers indoors so I haven’t tried it myself. What I do know is that it is very easy to make more Obedient Plants. Just wait a year or two and the clump will be big enough to divide. Which is actually kind of nice. I love flowers that make more of themselves, and as this is clump-forming, it’s easy to control. This bushy, robust plant is 2-3 feet tall, hardy to Zone 3, and starts blooming in late August/September. Its flowers are most commonly found in purple, but there are white and pink varieties out there. It’s one of those plants that you don’t truly appreciate until September, and then you are very glad you have it. And if you don’t have it, seriously, just ask another gardener. I would bet money they have a clump to spare. There is no need to ever buy an Obedient Plant!

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Hmm… Nope, nothing but leaves… But wait, what the… Aha!

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I’ve talked a great deal about finding those late summer gems that give us something to look forward to when all our other plants have given up for the season. I’ve saved one of my favorites until now, because it is only just opening now. The proper name for this shrub is Caryopteris, but it is commonly known as the Blue Mist or Bluebeard shrub. Most commonly found with a delicate, silvery green leaf, this medium-sized shrub gives deep periwinkle blue flowers in late August through September. I fell in love with this shrub due to its nickname, Blue Mist, which I found highly romantic. I adore the color of the flowers, too. (Periwinkle was my favorite crayon as a child.) Recently, a cultivar called “Sunshine Blue” [shown here] was released. I bought my little twig through Bluestone Perennials mail-order a couple of years ago (although it can now be found in garden centers) and it is now a robust 4-foot round shrub. Sunshine Blue boasts bright lemon-green leaves all season long, which give it great appeal even when it isn’t blooming…which, let’s face it, is most of the season! Original Blue Mists are nice too, with their silvery leaves. I have a common variety called “Dark Knight” which is gorgeous. It depends on your foliage color needs in a particular spot. Blue Mists can be fussy after a harsh winter, although I’ve found that to be true more often with the original silvery-hued leaf versions, like Dark Knight, than with Sunshine Blue. It is not uncommon to have to clip back a few dead branches in Spring. This shrub, like Buddleia, is also very late to leaf out in the spring, so be patient and wait to trim until it’s been leafing out for a while. If you get a Blue Mist in a spot it likes, you can expect years of enjoyment. They seem to like a spot not too wet and not too dry, with full sun and some winter wind protection. Just don’t pick a spot too near your walkway as the bees LOVE this plant even more than I do.

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See, it was like this. I was minding my own business while visiting a garden center with a friend when this little charming orphan plant thrust itself into my line of sight. AND there was a 30% off plant sale. I was powerless to resist! I know it’s late summer and I really shouldn’t be adding more plants at this point in the season. However, I’d like to meet the gardener that can look “Sombrero Hot Pink” Dwarf Echinacea in the eye…er, petals…and say ‘no!’ Did I mention it’s a brand new cultivar? You had me at ‘echinacea’…

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Lovely photo, huh? These colorful orange and black bugs, I recently discovered, are called milkweed bugs. And what do they eat exclusively? Plants in the milkweed family. And that means my butterfly weed has its very own bug. I bought my butterfly weed for the gorgeous orange flowers and for the fact that it attracts butterflies and feeds monarch butterfly caterpillars. The giant family of milkweed bugs now feeding on the seed pods was a surprise. Apparently, they don’t damage the plant. They just control the spreading of the seeds. Nature’s little control against excessively spreading milkweeds.

August is the buggiest month of the gardening season. Not only are the mosquitoes eating us alive, we have to deal with angry wasps, giant grasshoppers, hungry Japanese beetles, and all kinds of unexpected new bits of grossness like the milkweed bug. A few times I’ve even come across a praying mantis. (That is one scary bug, especially when it tilts its head to look at you.) I try to appreciate all facets of nature. I really do. And I can get behind a lot of bugs in terms of appreciation for their usefulness to the ecosystem. I’ve even come to terms with those hairy brown ground spiders that run away from you when you garden. I’m arachnophobic, big time, but as long as the spider is running AWAY from me, I can deal. And I made my peace long ago with the slimy but beneficial worm (you can’t garden if you don’t learn to appreciate worms). But the major convergence of all bugs in August has me staying indoors as much as possible and leaving my garden to fend for itself. Otherwise, the amount of screaming I do when a huge grasshopper lands on me tends to spook the neighbors.

The one good thing about the excessive amount of creepy crawlies in August? It gives me a reason to look forward to the first frost!

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This is a delightful rose bush that has become a favorite of mine. Like most shrub roses, Carefree Delight is resistant to all the nasty diseases old-fashioned roses can get, like black spot. The only issue I’ve ever had is the occasional Japanese beetle. This shrub gets 3 to 5 feet tall and wide, but can be trimmed to maintain size and shape. It flowers non-stop all summer long. And just look how gorgeous these delicate pink flowers are!

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Lobelia is a new plant for me. I just added it to my garden this summer and so far, I am thrilled. This particular variety is called “Monet Moment” and gives these gorgeous, upstanding, hot pink flower heads in August and September. I am not sure yet if the flowers will last that long as I purchased this plant in late July and it was already blooming.  But no doubt it is standing up to the heat and humidity and attracting some hummingbird interest. Lobelia has been a known herb for hundreds of years. Native Americans reportedly used it to treat respiratory conditions. However, varieties like the one I have are bred for beauty in the garden, not medicinal uses (although I understand it is poisonous if ingested). This plant grows about 20 inches high and likes moist soil, although average soil is fine, too. If this performs well again next year, you can bet I am going to add more of these plants to my yard for some much needed pink color in late summer.

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Who doesn’t have this flower? (You don’t? Wait…I’ll give you a clump.) If you are like me, you’ve never actually had to purchase this plant. You’ve instead received it from a friend or neighbor who has plenty to spare. I started with a donated clump about 7 years ago and now have huge clumps everywhere and have given many more away. It’s the plant that keeps on giving! And why not give it, it’s fabulous. Especially now, in August, when the yard sorely needs flowers. Plus, it’s easy to grow and a native plant, too!

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Okay, I’m cheating again. This isn’t actually a flower either. It’s another shrub! Rose of Sharon is a classic shrub. It can look like a small tree. I keep mine trimmed to be full bushes around 5 feet high. This particular variety is called Aphrodite and you can see why…huge two-toned pink flowers are showstoppers. They look quite exotic for a hardy perennial shrub in Illinois. Indeed, Rose of Sharons are part of the dramatic hibiscus family – except they can handle our winters. Just give them full sun and a lot of space and July through frost, you will enjoy an amazing show.

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