They were (mostly) all yellow

late August blooms - rudbeckia are in their prime

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Sunflower volunteer under the bird feeder:) 

Goldenrod at its best. 

So this is what bugbane looks like...

sedum (autumn joy) starting to change color (with a yellow wood sorrel poking through)

Oh, Aronia berry...

Oh deer... need some fencing for this baby. My beautiful berries are all gone. 

August flowers

Aztec Sun with soldier beetle...

 

Benary's Giant Zinnias...

 

Garden Phlox, Purple Coneflower, Joe Pye Weed and Rudbeckia (black-eyed susan?)...

 

You wait a long time for the black-eyed susan to bloom, but they always make it worth the wait...

this year's peppers

These are the peppers from Seed Savers this year - got the plants as seedlings this time around, rather than starting them from seed myself.

 

Below, an Ausulio Thin Skin Italian which should turn red if all goes well...

Adieu Wormwood, Hello Bee Balm

The wormwood has had its day and I learned my lessons: it makes me sneeze, it seems to do very little for pollinators as far as I can tell, it is poisonous (perhaps the reason pollinators aren't gung-ho about it), and it's gangly and unsightly when it blooms. So, a few days ago I sneezed my way through pulling it out.

 

And settled on Bee Balm as a replacement. I really want wild bergamot (monarda fistulosa), but can't find it in stores and didn't have luck yet when I tried to grow it from seed. Maybe I'll try again, but until then here's some Jacob Cline Monarda for the hummingbirds to enjoy.

Late July Flower Update

Dill has reseeded itself again, but I like to leave some plants because it's a favorite of the anise swallowtail butterfly caterpillar and the anise swallowtail butterfly is a favorite of mine.

Aztec Sun Sunflower...

I love the smell of German Chamomile, so I left a few self-started volunteers in the garden path.

veg at last

 Husky Cherry Red hybrid cherry tomatoes and Bonnie Green Bell sweet peppers that we got from Lowe's are pleasantly productive. Yes, I feel like a bit of sell-out not starting my own peppers and toms this year, but I think I'm going to be able to forgive myself.