August Beauty

OK, so we are experiencing hot summer highs in the 90's (degrees F) and the humidity makes one feel as if they are in a steam room, but there are many plants in my garden that are very comfortable. Click on the images to enlarge photos.

As you can see, there are advantages & disadvantages to gardening WITHOUT pesticides. Holes in leaves & flower petals go unnoticed when there are more important things to see.

Purple Coneflower 'Magnus' is an improved cultivar of our native prarie coneflower. The adjacent yellow-gold flowers are Black-Eyed Susan (Rudbeckia 'Goldsturm').

This is a close-up of the flower of a Southern Magnolia cultivar called 'Little Gem'. This plant is considered by some a dwarf plant, but I believe the botanists who suggest this is just a slower growing selection of the South's famous native tree. If I had to name a plant that I could not live without, this would get my vote. It serves as a backdrop for my perennials and screens my neighbor's ugly metal garden shed. The dark rich green foliage is lush all year long.