August is Summer in full splendor and my favourite month. Sorry I have been busy the past few weeks what with my Birthday in August and a week off for a road trip suddenly we are somehow in the middle of September!
August gave us more unseasonable rainy weather, by the 8th we had already surpassed August monthly average rainfall! We did have a couple of days in a row of no rain however and by the end of the month we were almost up to three days in a row of hot dry weather! For a city that is the 4th sunniest in North America this summer felt like a 60 day continuous storm. I certainly tired of the humidity and constant dark clouds. A few plants did enjoy the rainy weather though, many people have asked me what the consequence was of so much rain? Well, the City was as green as Ireland, or so I'm told, never been, the mosquitoes were tremendous! Roses grew to immense proportions as well as the grass which I had to mow every two days and Clematis bloomed continuously. Mostly I think we would all like to forget this summer, I feel like it was one of the worst in a few decades, here's to better luck next year!
There was so much rain this summer that the mushroom world excelled! Mushrooms even made local news, the mushroom society of Alberta was thrilled with the variety and excellence of this years crop, there was a Puffball Mushroom on the news that was as big as a basketball! I spotted these on my daily walk, the top ones were just growing in mowed grass and the bottom ones about as big as a saucer were growing under some Aspen trees in the field.
Midsummer is all about Day Lilies, top is an unknown variety that came with the house, short on bloom season but a vigorous plant. Left is Chicago Apache a lovely and large flowered Day Lily and Right is possibly Bella Lugosi, dark purple with a yellow throat, slow growing.
This Dr. Ruppel Clematis has been blooming since July! These flowers are about 6 to 7 inches across, it certainly loved the over 300 mm of rain.
Cucumber vine in flower, also very happy with the rain.
Hollyhock that grew from seed I collected probably 4 years ago, forgot about this so it was a nice surprise this year!
Some Fullers Teasel that has turned white from powdery mildew or something like it. I don't want this to seed so most of it was cut down after this photo.
Monkshood catches the early morning sun, this was also one of the three perennials that came with the house many years ago. An old fashioned favourite that is hardy and reliable no wonder they loved it in mid century Calgary!
I haven't thought about Nasturtium in many years but I got these seeds last year and put them in these pots on a lark. I was delighted with the many colours and constant blooming, also very interesting to see the cross breeding.
I got into growing this type of Datura (Jimson Weed) when I got interested in Georgia O'Keefe's paintings many years ago, once started early indoors they are pretty easy to grow in a pot in a warm and sunny place, they are one of my favourite annuals.
Every summer I put this Epiphytic Cactus outside and it always rewards us with a stunning show.
A collection of annuals grown in pots against a sunny wall, here Big Wow Dahlia, Ricinus, Canna and Papyrus enjoy what little sun we had.
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