Last of the summer shine
I have been a bit rude about the nasturtiums this year but, hands up, I was unfair and they have been pretty spectacular – and still are
We have been lucky here in Ireland over the past few weeks with the high pressure keeping the rain away and a few clouds: just enough to keep frosts at bay. We seem to have a pattern here that the sunniest time of day is just as the sun goes down and that meant it was the perfect time to get a few photos of the last flowers of summer – those plants that are hanging on and will still be looking great when the first slash of winter cuts them to the ground – anytime soon.
So I am making the most of every bit of colour now we are on borrowed time.
Helichrysum keep on sending up flowers though the plants are getting increasingly ‘leggy’ and scruffy
The Nicotiana mutabilis have been fantastic this year. The flowers are small but there are zillions of them and they just keep on blooming. Some, like this one, must be almost 2m high
Cosmos keep the garden colourful too though some plants in the mixed batch have still not bloomed yet – very poor – more of that later
Rudbeckia ‘Cherry Brandy’ is not my favourite thing. The flowers are a deep red and a breeding breakthrough but the flowers are not always very well formed and it just looks a bit ‘off’ to me. But they have their uses and they are still going strong
I prefer the more ‘ordinary’ colours of the ‘Rustic Dwarfs’, especially when they mingle with the hips of Rosa glauca
The Biking Gardener 
Love that Nicotiana! This has been a spectacular Autumn.
It has been so far
Nasturtiums make a good cut flower too, a small posy but beautifully formed.
Yes, and the stems are just long enough for a little posy
Attractive post. Thank you from our leggy nasturtiums
Lovely light in these photos, I also love the nicotiana and cosmos are a particular favourite. I have grown Cherry Brandy and liked them very much but they were very short lived, with the rose they look wonderful!
Cherry Brandy doesn’t seem as vigorous as the others but the colour is unique. Not sure I would grow it every year though even though I must have rudbeckias
I remember trying to convince someone it was a rudbeckia and not an echinacea, I don’t think I manage it!