End of Summer Butterflies and Blooms
Our summer gardening season is coming to a close here in my Zone 4b Minnesota gardens. Plants are tired and this gardener is tired. Can you relate? However, once I get out and start taking pictures, I find that I have more to share with you than I initially thought. Take a break, grab your favorite beverage and come along for my End of Summer Butterflies and Blooms tour.
I’m so happy with my little garden in the corner of our front yard. The makeover was a tough one, but I’m happy with the way this flower garden is evolving and so are the neighbors. My daughter and I made the sweet sign.
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Both the perennial asters and the annual asters are starting to take off, and the Balloon Flowers are starting on another round of blooms. Annual Vinca Flowers are little workhorses in the garden, they just keeping cranking out the blooms and really require no maintenance.
A male Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly is loving the Yellow Double Calibrachoa. Slow down buddy, so I can get a good picture.
And a male Monarch Butterfly on Phlox. Again, not a great picture, but when you’re out in the garden with just your cell phone, you do the best you can.
I think Snapdragons are my favorite annual flower. These were volunteers and just happened to pop up in a good place. They are an annual flower that doesn’t seem to get tired at all. If they are deadheaded on a regular basis, they will just keep blooming until a hard freeze takes them out.
Towards the end of summer, don’t deadhead though and if you’re lucky you’ll get some volunteers next summer.
It’s Monarch Butterfly season in my garden now, a few Swallowtails have joined the party too. When they leave, the Painted Lady Butterflies will show up. My hubs took these pictures. He’s a better photographer, and much more patient, than yours truly.
If you don’t have Meadow Blazingstar Liatris (Liatris Ligulistylis) in your garden, you must add one, or ten. They bloom much longer than the more common varieties of liatris. They are an absolute butterfly magnet! If you’d like to learn more about Meadow Blazingstar Liatris, this site has some interesting information.
I also posted a short video on Gingham Gardens Facebook page of butterflies fluttering by, pop over and check it out when you’ve finished your garden tour here.
Meet sweet Sophie. She’s one of my favorite garden statutes. Every year she finds a different spot in my gardens to hang out for the summer. This year she likes the Montego Snapdragons at her feet. If you’d like your very own Sophie, you can get one here.
I don’t think I’ve every shown my Potting Bench on the blog. This is another treasure that my husband built for me several years ago. Even though it weighs a ton, I insisted it make the move with us from our former home. It’s showing signs of age now. Hubs thinks I should paint it, but I rather like the weathered look. Here’s my rustic Potting Bench all decked out with a bunch of my garden junk.
This watering can has been in my arsenal of garden junk for a long time. It used to be a faded mauve color, but this spring hubs gave it a makeover with a can of spray paint. This old/new watering can turned out to be one of my favorite planters this summer. It normally sits on a table in my Shade Garden.
And a few more shots of a pretty female Tiger Swallowtail that I found in one of my raised veggie beds. Just look at her and not the marigolds in bad need of deadheading. She doesn’t seem to mind.
She’s so beautiful! Thanks God for giving us butterflies and flowers!
I hope you enjoyed my End of Summer Butterflies and Blooms garden tour. Have you been lucky enough to enjoy butterflies in your garden this summer?
Over the next few weeks, I will share how to transition your gardens into fall, so stay tuned. I still have a few projects on my list that I would like to accomplish yet this season. Do you have some fall gardening projects you want to get done before the cold sets in? I think this will help you get organized and on track.
Thanks so much for stopping by Gingham Gardens! Feel free to hang around the gardens for awhile. Did you see Easy DIY Garden Decor Using Tree Branches? It’s a very fun and creative way to use tree branches. If you love vintage garden decor, also check out Upcycled Vintage Garden Decor. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave a comment at the bottom of the post.
Happy gardening,
Joanna
p.s. Please help me out by pinning these pictures. Simply hover in the upper left-hand corner and click the “pin” icon. There are some more pins at the bottom of the page. Thanks!!!!
p.p.s. Follow Gingham Gardens on Pinterest for lots of great gardening ideas and tons of gardener’s eye candy.
A few of my favorite gardening items:
I’m joining in these link parties:
Feathered Nest Friday
August Garden Party
A Morning Cup of Joe
Dishing It and Digging It
Amaze Me Monday
Metamorphosis Monday
The Scoop
Inspire Me Tuesday
Sundays at Home
Some pins to share:
I am so glad I found your blog today because I love your posts. Fall is definitely here in Minnesota and aside from the temperatures I can tell because the aster is blooming and the monarchs are back. Plus my dahlias are exploding! And that is always a good thing.
I’m glad you found me too, Angie. I’m loving this weather.
We have missed Gingham Gardens at Reader TIp Tuesday. We hop you will come back and join use! https://bit.ly/2oDDG1X
Have a GREAT day!
Thanks Jodie!
I love seeing your garden. I had to laugh when you said slow down butterfly. I tried to get some shots of one this morning and I must be getting old. I couldn’t catch her! I need a better zoom lens I guess. ha ha
Thanks Christine! My hubs has the patient to get good shots, I do not!
Beautiful post, and a beautiful garden too! Thank you for sharing 🙂
I’ll be pinning!
Hello Lacey – thanks for stopping by Gingham Gardens. I’m glad you enjoyed the post.
How lovely your garden looks. No wonder the butterflies love it.
Amalia
xo
Thanks so much, Amalia.
We get Swallowtails, but not Monarch. Summer is winding down for us here in Coastal BC. Time to put most of our garden to rest. – Margy
Hello Margy, my plants are tired and I’m tired, but I’m so not ready for summer to be over. Thanks for stopping by.
Such a wonderful tour! I love the butterflies. I have lots of Swallowtails, and another that I’m not sure what the name is, but no Monarchs. I have got to look for that Liatris. I just have a smaller type one. Thanks for sharing your beautiful garden with the Garden Party.
hugs,
Jann
Our grandson loves chasing and trying to catch the butterflies. I’ve always had butterflies in my gardens, but not as many as I do with the meadow blazingstar liatris. Thanks again for co-hosting the garden party. It’s been awesome!
So beautiful!! Your photos are wonderful. I love the plants and the butterflies.
So glad you shared this at the garden party. Pinning. 🙂
Thanks Stacey!
Beautiful photos of your end of summer flowers and the gorgeous butterflies. You have such a nice variety of flowers in your gardens. I’m going to each about your branches in the garden now.
Thanks so much, Judy.
Just beautiful Joanna! The photo of the Monarchs on the Liatris takes my breath away! I pinned to remember to plant next year!
Thanks Mary.
ahhh, the flowers are pretty but those butterflies are GORGEOUS…loved your tour.
I’m so happy you enjoyed your visit. Come again soon!
Joanna, your colorful blooms and butterflies make me smile. Enjoy your garden these last days of summer.
Thanks so much, Sarah! I do enjoy late summer and fall gardening once the temps have cooled down.
Lovely photos Joanna. So enjoyed browsing them.
Hi Dorothy – I’m happy you enjoyed the gardens today. Thanks for taking the time to comment. Happy gardening!
Lovely photos, Joanna. Your gardens are beautiful! I planted 8 of the Meadow blazing star this year. Four did great and four in other locations did poorly, so I moved them to where the “happy” ones were. I am seeing monarchs on them but the monarchs also adore the Verbena bonariensis.
Thanks Beth. I’m going to have to look into getting some seeds for Verbena bonariensis. Happy gardening!
What a great post Joanna! I enjoyed seeing your late blooms and the butterflies. Butterflies are hard to capture as I’ve learned. I didn’t now liatris was a butterfly magnet- I’ll have to grow some next year. Tomorrow is our last Garden Party and I’d love to see you add your post to it!
Thanks Liz. I’ll be sure to join in the party tomorrow.