Hi GPODers!
We’re back in Malvern, Pennsylvania with a new update from Carla Zambelli Mudry. We’ve been keeping up with Carla’s garden as it evolves through the seasons this year (Catch up with her previous 2025 submissions: Carla’s Early Spring Flowers, Carla’s Mid-Spring Flowers and Mid-Spring Foliage, Roses and Clematis Bloom in Carla’s Garden, Carla’s Garden in June, and Carla’s Late June Flowers and Foliage), and we’ve already seen an incredible array of blooms and foliage. Despite fighting against high temperatures and end-of-season fatigue throughout August, her garden still had an impressive display of color and abundance.
Well, it’s August. And that means late summer is here because I think aren’t we forever a little bit a kid in our heads realizing this is the last gasp before we go back to school in the fall? It certainly has been a different summer from last summer. We’ve had a lot of blasting heat, but also a lot of rain. Everything has grown exponentially. I have been pruning things more than once in a couple of cases. However, now I see azaleas starting to set for next year, so there’s some that I can’t trim that I should have. I have really trimmed back some hydrangeas in a couple of cases because it got so warm so early after the weird cold spring that on some of the lacecaps, for example, the flowers aged and browned out more quickly. A couple of hydrangeas have rewarded me like ‘Tuff Stuff’ (Hydrangea serrata ‘MAK20’, Zones 5–9) by starting to bloom again. The delightful end of summer flowers like the dinner plate hibiscus, and the giant rudbeckia I love, and my husband does not, are blooming. And I have a pretty good patch of zinnias going. I also have crocosmia and a couple of patches of gaillardia or blanket flowers. One patch of gaillardia is sort of a deep red and the other patch is sort of a rust orange. They’re really quite pretty. I’m now many years into this garden and I love the way it has evolved and grown and I would definitely say it’s layered sometimes to the point of being crowded, so I have moved things around and even given plants away over the years. And the garden looks different depending on the time of day you are viewing it. I especially like dusk. However, another part of a long hot summer with lots of rain and waiting for our sixth heat wave next week means I’ve also gotten to the point where it’s like you want to look at the garden some mornings and say “Please take care of yourself now, I am tired.” But then you see an unexpected flower and you hear a bird sing, or a screech owl and the other big owl in the woods at night and you’re all in love again. I will admit that the cat birds, cardinals, and Carolina wrens need to stop having babies because they’re all still having clutches which makes pruning in a timely manner difficult. Soon fall will be upon us, and that will mean more bulbs to plant. How does your garden grow?
Carla’s banana are trees still thriving, just a little yellowing on the edges of a couple of leaves is completely normal considering the turbulent weather she has been getting. Check out her post from June to see how it was looking earlier in the season (Carla’s Garden in June).
Despite the turbulent weather, both flowers and foliage are looking vibrant. You can also see the exuberant growth Carla mentions in her introduction, with these plants taking up every possible inch that Carla has provided them. While these layers might be getting overcrowded for some plants, the dense mixtures of color and texture have a beautiful affect.
Also mentioned in Carla’s intro, her hydrangeas are putting on a spectacular late season show. Panicle hydrangeas (Hydrangea paniculata, Zones 3–8), in particular, are more exciting as their blooms put on some wonderful pink fall color.
Another area of lush layers is this section of ferns. A ray of sunlight is acting like a spotlight on the bright red Indian pink (Spigelia marilandica, Zones 5–9) flowers sticking up from the center of this greenery.
Carla has a mostly woodland garden with an incredible collection of shade loving plants, but she also utilizes every sliver of sun to incorporate more unexpected selections. This bright orange crocosmia brings some more tropical flair to her woody wonderland.
A closer look at one of Carla’s hydrangeas, still producing pristine blooms in the late season.
Lastly, one of Carla’s rudbeckia, which are apparently controversial plants in her household! Cutleaf coneflowers (Rudbeckia laciniata, Zones 3–9) can grow up to 10feet tall, so it’s hard to ignore if you’re not a fan. But I’m siding with Carla on this one, how can you not love these vibrant, pollinator plants?
As always, Carla sent in a copious amount of gorgeous garden photos, so we will be back in her garden tomorrow to see more colorful August scenes. Keep an eye on your inbox so you don’t miss more spectacular garden photos.
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