ambree40

August has been a month of extremes. We’ve had temperatures of over 30C that left the garden parched, followed by torrential rain that flattened some of the taller plants. Fewer species started to flower in August than in the previous months but there were compensations. Some of the faded flowers are now forming seeds in a rather spectacular manner.

For instance, in fireweed (Chamerion angustifolium) each tiny seed is attached to a small fluffy parachute that makes it float through the air.



In many species, the capsules are just as striking as the flowers.


Seeds of the foxglove (left) emerge through a tiny crack in the side of the capsule, whereas capsules of primrose and columbine open at the top, leaving a beautifully shaped pointy collar.


Red campion (left) with one mature, open capsule and three others still in development. Honesty (middle) has these transparent seed pods and the fruit of the Spindle tree (right) shows why this species is called ‘Cardinal’s hat’ in Dutch.


Some of our shrubs and climbers are now forming berries: the Rowan tree (Sorbus) and the Virginia creeper (Parthenocissus).

Writing about all these different types of berries, pods, capsules or whatever you call them has been quite difficult. I know what I would say in Dutch but in English? Going to Wikipedia wasn’t much help because scientific botanical terms differ from those used in everyday life. Well, the pictures at least show what I mean.


The Virginia creeper has woven its way through the wire netting around my small balcony, creating a sheltered space where I sometimes see sunbathing blackbirds. There’s also just space enough for a potted Hydrangea.


Behind a patch of tall verbena (Verbena bonariense) you get a glimpse of the back of the house, where my hobbity buddy is quietly smoking his pipe.


Insects of all kinds are still finding our garden paradise.


Bees (or is the left one a wasp?) visiting the Marjoram plants.


Sedum telephium also attracts lots of insects. Wikipedia tells me this plant should now be called Hylotelephium telephium (the systematists keep changing plant names, grrr). It also has many common English names, such as orpine, livelong, frog's-stomach, harping Johnny, life-everlasting, live-forever, midsummer-men, Orphan John and witch's moneybags. I’ll go for life-everlasting because we have had it in our garden for decades.

Pictures of the other species that started flowering in August:


Purple and pink loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria).


Black-eyed-Susan (Rudbeckia hirta).


Different color varieties of the Himalayan balsam (Impatiens glandulifera). This species is also called ‘snapweed’ because the seed pods snap open when you touch them.


Japanese spirea (Spirea japonica) and hollyhock (Alcea).


Goldenrod (Solidago canadensis) and hemp-agrimony (Eupatorium cannabinum).


And finally, the common vervain (Verbena officinalis). The flowers have a beautiful, very delicate pinkish-purple color that I could not catch on picture. My autofocus camera also refused to focus well on the flower. So, I think it’s time to start saving for a better camera!