Right now in the garden

This summer I didn't spend much time in my garden. It was just too damn hot and I just didn't show it the usual love. It was somewhat neglected. The above plant was a surprise this year. I planted it two summers ago and thought it was an annual. We pulled it out that fall and there was no sign of it last summer. This summer two plants sprouted. It's name is Datura and produces white trumpet like flowers tinged with purple. They bloom in the evening and only last one night. It's also called Nightshade. I didn't know it at the time but this is a toxic plant and has caused deaths.

What I like about it is the spiny fruits. They eventually open up to reveal black seeds.

My clematis didn't do as well as past years but what did bloom is pretty.

I love blue flowers and there aren't many varieties. This is Black and Blue Salvia.

My garden had trouble with powdery mildew this year. It infected my bee balm, trumpet vine, peonies and some of my black eyed susans. The conditions were great for it. It was very humid this summer, my plants got crowded and there wasn't enough air circulation among the plants. I will have to be more vigilant next year because it can winter over in the soil and plant debris.

These were my pink cone flowers. We usually cut them down after they're done blooming but again I was neglectful which turned out to be a good thing. I just read in the newspaper this morning that the birds will eat the seeds all winter.

This is yarrow that I lifted from my sister's garden. You have to be careful with it because it can be invasive and take over your garden. It died off after I transplanted it but just recently it came back to life.

For the last several years Hubby has taken over a spot in my garden and planted tomatoes. He used to plant beef steak and cherry tomatoes but the dog was eating them off the vine. This year he planted plum tomatoes. They didn't do so great. Many of them are still green and those that started to ripen tended to fall off the vine. You can see Cody is still interested but we put a small fence around them. I told him next year; no tomatoes.