Only one sunflower managed to bloom this year. I had several varieties growing but Autumn was simply too cool for them even though the summer itself was warm.
Luckily Sunspot (Helianthus annuus ‘Sunspot’) grew large and beautiful bloom to save the summer. I had it growing in a large pot with other flowers.
Sometimes this just happens up here in the north. For certain flowers our summer is simply too short sometimes. Better luck next year.
Only few flowers left in the garden after we went below the freezing point few days ago. Luckily the nearby lake helps and since most of the flowers are close enough to it some of them were able to escape the nearly certain sudden death.
Stonecrops (Sedum) are still doing well and blooming beautifully. Unfortunately cannot anymore remember the exact variety of the one in the picture. It is the oldest one I have and the one that made me buy more.
Nearly lost the plant last year but changing it to a dryer place helped. Too many nutrients and too much water were the reasons why it did not do well.
Yet another good year for the Monkshood (Aconitum × stoerkianum) which is blooming beautifully.
It has grown here as long as I remember and seems to have adapted to the environment.
You just need to remember that all parts of the plant are very poisonous. In other words you can not plant it close to edibles.
Phloxes are blooming beautifully at the moment. The Windsor (Phlox paniculata ‘Windsor’) finally started its show and is the last one of the phloxes to open the blooms.
The summer has been a good one for the phloxes even though they have required a lot of watering.
Planning to have more colors and varieties next year.
The nights are getting longer and colder up here in the north. Days are still nice and warm but you can feel the autumn coming.
Few years ago I had some extra yarrow seeds and just threw them around. The end result is that I now have Cerise Queens (Achillea millefolium ‘Cerise Queen’) growing here and there.
We have the white form of yarrow as a native plant but no other colors. Cerise Queens are easy to spot since they just stand out.
I had completely forgotten that I planted Origami Red and White (Aquilegia caerulea ‘Origami Red and White’) seeds last year.
The blooms were a nice surprise and lasted long.
Now the flowering season for columbines is over but it is time to collect the seeds. This surely was a variety that I want to see more in my garden.
Love the light blue color the Baby Blue Eyes (Nemophila menziesii) have.
The summer has not been the best possible for them even though they are easy to grow. This plant grows best in loose, organically rich, well-drained acidic soil in full sun to part shade.
The garden pollinators also love this flower
I am usually quite self sufficient when it comes to the Sensation (Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Sensation’) seeds but this spring bought some to ensure that all the color varieties are there.
Cosmos likes the warmth and this summer has been good to them.
Sensation grows and blooms quickly which is good for the short summers we have.
Covent Garden (Gypsophila elegans ‘Covent Garden’) bloomed well this year. Dry weather suits it fine and there were no rain to ruin the blooms.
The only challenge with Covent Garden is that the blooming season is quite short.
The flower is popular with the florists and is used in the bouquets. Gypsophila has been cultivated for hundreds of years and is a very old garden flower.
Velouette (Cosmos bipinnatus ‘Velouette’) is a very beautiful cosmos variety.
The warm summer has suited it well and it has started to bloom earlier than usually.
For our short summers the variety is a bit problematic. If we get a cool summer, which we many times do, it has challenges to bloom early enough.
Gardening in the North 