Scenes of Summer

Is it late summer yet? I don't think so. Late summer is after the 21st of August when only a month is left. Still, the above spring blooming azalea is throwing more blossoms than it did this spring. It has re-bloomed in the past but with just one or two flowers. This year, this August, it is putting on a good show. I have no idea why as it is not supposed to re-bloom. Just an added bonus. I don't remember its name. Anyone?  I have a love-hate relationship with any plant bearing the color 'school bus yellow'. On one hand, it shows up very well in the garden from a great distance but close up it is garish and harsh and doesn't seem to blend well with other colors. Black eyed Susan's were one of my childhood favorites so I give them a bit of a pass. It is hard to dislike black eyed Susan's. They can be thuggish and persistent but these look quite at home next to the anise hyssop blooming in the Winter Garden. Yes, it is behind the corn patch which hides it from direct view but there should be a reason to walk behind the corn.
The tall garden phlox are in bloom and those that have reseeded are large, fragrant and purple. I have several cultivars of Phlox paniculata. Phlox paniculata 'Peppermint Twist' is coral and white although it does revert back to just coral. It has little fragrance.Still, this phlox is pretty and at 24" tall fits on the edge of the garden quite well. August can be a bit of a garden bore. The borders rely heavily on the color of annuals and the textures of earlier blooming perennials. The real stars of an August garden are vegetables: corn, squash, beans and tomatoes. Well, my tomatoes are not ripe yet with the exception of 'Sungold'.  That is a topic for another day. What perennials are you enjoying in your garden in early August?