Newsletter for August 2026

You can’t have a summer garden without some Blackeyed Susans. ‘Indian Summer’ is probably still the favorite although many new varieties have been introduced. This coming week we also expect ‘Amarillo Gold’ and ‘Irish Spring’. We’re also expecting more compact sunflowers. The Echinaceas are also a great perennial to plant now as they are late bloomers.

These hot temperatures make a person run to the shade! And one of the more dramatic plants hiding out there are the Hostas. These bold leaves display a variety of shapes and colors. The added bonus is stalks of small bell shaped flowers. Slugs and snails also find them attractive, so be sure and treat for these pests. Hostas totally die back in winter so keep the area clear for next year.

Our long time employee, Kay, was quite a winner at the Mid-state fair. She won three blue ribbons for her plant entries. Congratulations, Kay!

Who, you may well ask, was Vera Jameson? The answer is, she was a gardener in England who discovered this charming succulent which was named after her. The leaves are a grayish green and the rosy pink flowers begin appearing at this time of year. Vera is not thirsty, but she does best with a bit of afternoon shade.

Yuccas are wonderful solution to the hot, dry days we are experiencing. This particular variety, ‘Bright Star’ fits all the requirements for a drought tolerant plant and adds a bit of brightness to the landscape.

Here are a few suggestions to fill in or add some heat tolerant plants: Lantana and Vinca. Both come in a variety of colors. Angelonias (summer snapdragons) are great as well as Cosmos, Zinnias and Verbenas.

A perfect pairing of two 4″ Begonias and two unique containers. There’s quite an array of Begonias in the plant world. We have the tuberous varieties outside in the shade house. They die back in winter but return in the spring. Some varieties have chocolate colored leaves.

A very colorful house plant, this Cordyline will do best with some strong light indoors to maintain its color. We have some very impressive Ficus lyrata (Fiddle leaf fig) at this time. One of the few house plants that is capable of blooming indoors is the Spathiphyllum, currently available in 6″ plants.