Late summer garden

High 80 F
Low  50 F

This is the time of year of great temperature disparity.  It is chilly in the morning but as the day progresses, layers must be shed.  The garden doesn't seem to mind.  The blue plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides,  is showing its' fine colors and while it is blue, the flower buds are definitely red, creating a nice contrast.  This nice little ground cover blooms in full sun or partial shade and, while it is listed hardy to Zone 6, I have never had problems with it in my 5b garden.  It fills the gap over the spring flowering bulbs and produces nice foliage well before the blooms appear.  Another late blooming flower is the Tricyrtis formosana ' Amethyst' . It is best up close as it has very small, orchid like blooms.  I guess you could mass these plants for better effect but the intricate little blossoms do draw one closer to them. The form is a bit gangly but they are unique flowers well worth a second or third glance. The gentians are also starting to show color.  This is a new species which promises to be a beauty (I promise to dig out the tag when it blooms).   Lest you think that there are only small flowers blooming this time of year, the disco series of Hibiscus are blooming with flowers so overblown and large, they look otherworldly. I am never sure if I like this Hibiscus as it lacks subtlety with it's frisbee sized flowers but they are hard to ignore.  What do you think of these Hibiscus and do you have any in your garden?