Who doesn’t want a little hot pink in their life? Appropriately buzzing with bees, this tough and reliable perennial stands tall with burgundy-tinged erect stems, deep green leaves, and almost neon-colored pink blooms; and did I mention it was covered in beautiful, bumbling bees? Monarda ‘Raspberry Wine’ and ‘Grand Marshall’ are planted in our teaching gardens; they take root in our native plant teaching garden and continue to clump in the perimeter planting of our food garden, where pollinators are hard at work.

From plug (maybe one inch across and deep, when first planted) to healthy, hardy shrub-like perennial in just a few growing seasons. This plant is covered in purplish-blue (with hints of pink) spiky flowerheads and boasts interesting, textured leaves. The bees buzzed atop this plant, which also attracted hummingbirds and butterflies.

Happiness is right here in this plant’s dainty foliage and delicate yellow blooms. Shining bright like sunshine, this plant is sweet and lovely with soft foliage, radiating pure joy in August.

One evening, I was strolling through my neighborhood and stopped to appreciate a newly planted garden bed filled with different-colored coneflowers. This gardener planted white, pink, yellow, salmon, and purple blooms as though they had wiped out all the possible coneflowers from the garden center. Not my design preference, but hey, we all have different preferences, and if this colorful montage makes this gardener happy, then go for it. Coneflower is an excellent plant selection; it is easy to establish, maintain, and a super reliable bloomer in the heat of the summer. Interesting flowers followed by equally interesting seedheads that provide a great food source for birds when left standing for later season and winter interest. Echinacea purpurea is pictured here.

When we moved into our home twenty years ago, this was one of my first plantings: a stand of switchgrass. I adore (in every color, shape and form) native switchgrass; ‘Shenandoah’ is one of my favorites because of its red shading. This grass is no-fuss, fills in areas nicely, maintains its shape to provide a soft, vertical, and wispy element in the garden through winter. Plant in mass (3+ plants) for stronger visual impact.

Joe Pye has been a staple native plant addition to residential and community plantings for some time. By far one of the tallest native perennial plants we have in our teaching garden, Joe Pye pushes its way through other plantings to stand tall in a community or line a strong edge. Sturdy burgundy, green stems flex pinkish maroon blooms that are a magnet for butterflies this time of year. Joe Pye is planted in both our native teaching garden and as a perimeter planting to our food garden.

Smaller, mounding perennial that, in the coming weeks, will become covered in purple daisy-like flowers with bright yellow centers. This tough plant provides a bluish-purple color that blends well with more traditional autumnal colors we showcase in our fall gardens.

Chances are, you already have black-eyed Susan in your garden, but do you have Rudbeckia subtomentosa ‘Henry Eilers’? This unique and playful version of rudbeckia catches your attention almost immediately upon arrival in our teaching garden. The flower petals are a mustard yellow and distinctly separated from one another, which creates a strong radial appearance. These flowers hover over typical rudbeckia foliage, presenting an almost sunflower-y feel. Seedheads will provide late fall and winter interest and food for birds. You can also find Rudbeckia hirta and Rudbeckia maxima planted in our gardens.

The Master Gardeners have planted common milkweed (Asclepias syriaca), swamp milkweed (Asclepias incarnata), and butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa) in our gardens. Learn more about each of these plants' characteristics, including bloom color/time and the support each provides to Monarch butterflies, from the National Wildlife Federation.

I am a huge fan of the cultivar ‘Fireworks.’ As the name suggests, this larger goldenrod explodes with cheerful golden flowers in late summer. When I see this plant in bloom, I begin to long for cooler nights and pumpkin-flavored treats, and, whether we are ready for it or not, it signals to me that it is “back to school” time. An integral meadow planting that is enjoyed along roadsides and in fields, it is also very much at home in your garden, delivering a colorful punch. There are many types of goldenrod available, with slightly different growing conditions and bloom times, so be sure to find a good fit for your garden.

Have you heard “plant white for night”? When I was a student at Longwood Gardens, one of my instructors would highlight plants with white blooms for evening interest. Even when it is completely dark outside, white stands out under the bright light of the moon. Shasta Daisy is a prolific bloomer that (come on, you know it) makes everyone smile.

Spigelia has been a personal favorite since it was introduced to me while working at North Creek Nurseries. Since then, quite some time ago, it has gained in popularity. If you have ever joined me in a Zoom meeting, you know my profile picture is spigelia. People ask, “What is that plant?” which provides great conversation during that sometimes-awkward time before an online meeting starts. I reply, “A fantastic native plant with the most beautiful, unique red/yellow flower combo I have ever seen. I have it planted at home in dry, wet, shade, and sun (though not full sun), and it performs well in each set of conditions with sporadic blooms into late fall. Wait until you see the hummingbirds visit the flowers; it takes your breath away.” While not peak flower time in August, spigelia has pleasant dark-green foliage and throws up a surprising bloom here and there.
 

Let’s Harvest

You can find additional interest in our food teaching garden, which is both aesthetically pleasing and impressively productive in August. Currently, the garden is displaying ready and ripening tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, eggplants, and beans. Don’t miss Swiss chard, a variety of herbs including basil, oregano, dill, parsley, rosemary, and lavender, flowering zinnias, and nasturtium. Also, flowering corn, vining sweet potatoes, and ripening paw paw fruit on the nearby native tree planting. There is much to observe, learn and enjoy; stay connected to this garden by signing up for weekly Master Gardener updates here.

The Master Gardener teaching gardens provide a great source of inspiration for fall plantings, and so do the many public and community gardens we have at our fingertips in this region. Get out, get ideas, and enjoy, and if you discover plants you’d like to add to your garden, tap into local plant sales including the UD Botanic Gardens online sale at the end of August, you can learn more here.

*The above plants are listed in no order, just as I encountered them during my walk. These are my notes, which are brief and do not include specifics like preferred growing conditions. These are also my pictures, taken in the Master Gardeners’ teaching gardens on the University of Delaware campus, intended to give you a quick taste of what the plant has to offer at this time of year. Master Gardener teaching gardens are also available at the Kent and Sussex County Extension offices. For more information, visit our website. Be sure to do your own, additional research. Remember “right plant, right place”; it is so important to match plant characteristics to your specific site/garden to optimize plant health and benefits.