Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day & Foliage Follow-Up August: Late Summer Views & Blooms!

Welcome!

Welcome to A Guide to Northeastern Gardening and to my August Long Island zone 7b garden! With record breaking heat, this has been our hottest summer on record as June hit 101°F. July also ended up being more than 3°F warmer than average and nearly tied for as “hottest on record” along with five inches of rainfall on the 31st. Now that we are in the start of August, the first week brought much cooler temperatures in the low 80's, with another heat wave back again this week. The garden is in full bloom, so join me for a tour!

Lilium 'Stargazer'

Our first stop is along the pool border where Lilium 'Stargazer', with its fragrant blooms. It had an earlier bloom time compared to previous years, so here is a view from two weeks ago.

Dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue'

Today in the garden, Dwarf Butterfly Bush 'Pugster Blue' is in full bloom along with the start of flowers on Sedum 'Brilliant'.

Sedum ' Pure Joy'

Sedum 'Pure Joy' is starting to display its more compact pale pink blooms. This cultivar grows to a smaller size of just 10-12 inches tall and is excellent for smaller spaces.

Backyard Island Bed

In the back raised island bed Weigela 'My Monet' is showing off its lovely variegated foliage and is accompanied by the blooms of Hydrangea 'Limelight Prime'.

Hydrangea 'Limelight Prime'

The blooms of Hydrangea 'Limelight Prime' start off as a pale green, mature to pure white, then fade to  a pinkish hue, giving all season interest.

Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar' (Black Eyed Susan)

Along the back border Rudbeckia 'Little Goldstar' is making its presence known with an abundance of golden-yellow blooms with black centers...

Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry'

and Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry' continues to display its long lasting blooms. I have found that a little deadheading after the first round of blooms encourages even more blooms and a longer bloom time, while leaving seed heads for the birds to munch on later in the season!

Platycodon 'Komachi'

Here is Balloon Flower, Platycodon 'Komachi' with its interesting blooms which do not open up like other species of Balloon Flower, but rather stay closed like balloons! I found this variety many years ago and I have been on a mission ever since to find it again!

Abelia 'Kaliedoscope'

Now going on its third season, Abelia 'Kaliedoscope' continues to please with its colorful variegated foliage and white trumpet-shaped blooms in later summer...

Spirea 'Candy Corn'

while upright Japanese Maple 'Twombly's Red Sentinel' and Spirea 'Candy Corn' add some colorful foliage for interest throughout the entire summer.

Allium 'Millenium'

Here is Allium 'Millenium', which I planted along the southern pool border a few years back. It is showing off its wonderful blooms! This has become a favorite in the late summer garden!

Salvia 'Blue By You'

Salvia 'Blue By You' continues to bloom along the patio border with just one deadheading back in early July. The newer cultivar of perennial Salvia is hardy in USDA zones 4-9 and has the longest bloom time I have experienced out of all the Salvia.

Double Red Knock Out Rose

Old reliable Double Knock Out Rose continues to push out blooms and will continue to do so throughout the rest of the summer and into fall...

Groundcover Sedum

and the assortment of varieties of groundcover Sedum continue to supply interest along the pool border.

Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake'

Viburnum 'Summer Snowflake' is pushing out another round of late summer blooms. I love how this more compact form of Viburnum can have several bloom periods throughout the season.

Daylily 'Stella D'Oro'

Stella D' Oro joins in the mix as well with a second round of blooms after a late summer rejuvenation.

Crape Myrle 'Sioux'

As we approach the end of our tour, Crape Myrtle is starting to display its amazing deep pink blooms.

Crape Myrle 'Sioux'

Here is a close up view! If you look closely, you can see that the tree is also in the process exfoliating its older bark. This is a normal process, especially in more mature trees, and soon the newer more colorful bark will be exposed.

Tree Hydrangea 'Tardiva'

Along the northern side of the property, Hydrangea 'Tardiva', a later blooming variety of hydrangea, is displaying its fragrant panicle-shaped white blooms... 

Hydrangea 'Firelight Tidbit'

and Hydrangea 'Firelight Tidbit' is also in full bloom.  It is now showing hints of a pinkish hue on the more mature flowers. I am so enjoying this new addition for its second year.

Thank you for Visiting!

I hope you enjoyed your visit to my August garden. I so appreciate you being here, look forward to your comments and enjoy seeing what you have growing in your garden. Special thanks go out to our hostess Carol at May Dreams Gardens, who makes it possible to see blooms on the 15th of every month with her meme Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Also, special thanks to Pam Penick at Digging who had hosted Foliage Follow-Up, a meme I will continue to honor. I am also linking with some other wonderful hosts and hostesses at Floral Friday Fotos, Nature Notes at Rambling Woods, Image-in-ing weekly photo share every Tuesday, Weekly Photo Link-Up at My Corner of the World on Wednesdays and Garden Affair at Jaipur Garden. 

Other Places to Find Me:

You can visit my Author Page to learn about and Purchase My Books, each one focusing on different aspects of gardening, including landscape ideas, design principles, gardening by month for all-season interest, gardening tips and maintenance, shade gardening, gardening inspiration and more. And also be sure to check out my newest publication, The Houseplant Guide, to guide you on your houseplant journey!

Check out my newsletter Northeastern Gardening News for monthly updates all to do with gardening! It's free to subscribe or you can pledge a donation to show support for my work and receive monthly updates right into your inbox!

Find me on Instagram at Northeastern Gardening and Facebook at A Guide to Northeastern Gardening Blog & Author Page.

Until we Meet Again...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved.  

Why Deadheading Coneflower Is Beneficial: And How to Do It While Supporting Wildlife

Deadheading Echinacea (Coneflower)

Welcome to This Month in the Garden! Coneflowers (Echinacea) are beloved in gardens for their vibrant daisy-like blooms, drought tolerance, and value to pollinators. As mid- to late-summer bloomers, they bring long-lasting color to flower beds and naturalized plantings. One common question among gardeners is whether to deadhead these striking flowers. The answer depends on your goals, but when done thoughtfully, deadheading can both extend blooming and benefit wildlife.

Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'

What Is Deadheading? Deadheading is the process of removing spent flowers from a plant before they can set seed. In many flowering species, this encourages the plant to put energy into producing new blooms rather than seeds. For perennials like coneflowers, it can result in a longer flowering period and a tidier appearance. 

The Benefits of Deadheading Coneflower: Deadheading encourages more blooms. When you remove fading blooms, the plant often responds by producing additional flowers, extending the colorful display into late summer or even early fall. This also promotes plant health by helping to prevent fungal diseases by improving air circulation around the plant and removing decaying material that could harbor pests. While promoting good health, deadheading also improves garden appearance. Removing brown or dried flower heads can give your garden a neater, more maintained look, especially in formal beds or highly visible areas.

Echinacea Pow Wow 'Wild Berry'

The Benefits of Deadheading Coneflower While Supporting Wildlife: Coneflowers are especially valuable to birds like goldfinches, who feast on the seeds of mature flower heads in late summer and fall. If you deadhead all the spent blooms, you may deprive local birds of this important food source. Instead of removing every faded bloom, try a selective deadheading strategy. Deadhead early in the season (July–August) to encourage more flowers. Use clean sharp scissors to remove spent flowers that have faded colors and dried out petals. Deadheading every 5-8 days during the period of peak blooming can help to keep the plant flowering consistently. Avoid cutting into new buds if you want flowers next blooming season. Leave healthy flower buds alone and allow them to develop at their own pace. Some amount of basal foliage and seed heads can also stay. Cutting too much of your coneflowers at once can worsen deadheading results and put your plants at great risk. Stop deadheading by late August so the final round of blooms can go to seed. Leave some spent flowers on the plant throughout fall and winter for seed-eating birds. This approach strikes the perfect balance between aesthetics, extended blooming, and wildlife support.

Echinacea 'Cheyenne Spirit'

How to Properly Deadhead Coneflower: Deadheading coneflowers is simple and can be done with garden snips or pruners. Locate the Spent Bloom and look for flowers that are fading, browning, or drying up. Follow the stem down to where it joins a set of leaves or a side bud. Make a clean cut using clean pruners or scissors to cut just above a healthy leaf node or side bud. This encourages new shoots and blooms from that node. If you are removing seed heads early in the season, save them for growing new plants, feeding the birds or compost them. When it becomes later in the season, leave them on the plant for birds. 

Echinacea Pow Wow 'White'

Bonus Tip-Winter Interest: Leaving some seed heads on your coneflowers not only helps birds but also adds texture and visual interest to the winter garden. The spiky, dark cones can look striking against frost or snow. 

I hope you enjoyed This Month in the Garden and have found the information to be useful. Deadheading coneflowers can be a powerful tool to encourage prolonged blooming and keep your garden looking vibrant. But it’s also an opportunity to support wildlife. By deadheading selectively and removing some blooms while allowing others to go to seed, you create a garden that’s both beautiful and beneficial to birds. Let your garden serve multiple roles, an outdoor haven for you, a buffet for pollinators, and a sanctuary for birds.

Looking for some Garden Inspiration? Check Out My Books:

A Guide to Northeastern Gardening: Journeys of a Garden Designer Zones 3-9

Landscape Design Combinations  

Dream, Garden, Grow!-Musings of a Lifetime Gardener

Gardening by Month: A Monthly Guide to Planning the Northeastern & Mid-Atlantic Garden

Shade Gardening for the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic

The Houseplant Guide: How to Easily Select & Maintain Indoor Plants

As Always...Happy Gardening!

Author: Lee @A Guide to Northeastern Gardening, © Copyright 2010-2025. All rights reserved.