September Bees & Blooms

September Bees & Blooms

It might be September, but my garden is still teeming with bees (and the odd butterfly) and the flowers are still blooming.

One bee I’ve noticed buzzing about is a Red-tailed Bumblebee. It’s noticeable because it’s much bigger than the other bees buzzing around the garden.

Red-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe 'Pink Candy'.
Red-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe ‘Pink Candy’.

Red-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe 'Pink Candy'.

Red-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe 'Pink Candy'.

The Echinacea ‘Delicious Candy’ plant is a new addition to the garden. I spotted it last weekend and just had to have it. It looks great and has a wonderful name too.

Echinacea 'Delicious Candy'
Echinacea ‘Delicious Candy’

The Gaillardia Aristata plant is also new to the garden. I could see it was attracting bees while we were in the garden centre and I just had to have it. If a plant attracts bees and butterflies then it’s very welcome in my garden!

Gaillardia Aristata
Gaillardia Aristata

The Serenity flowers have done very well this year. They’ve flowered all summer and still seem to be going strong. You might remember them being doused in rain back in June.

Serenity
Serenity

Serenity

Serenity

Dahlias – Quite possibly my favourite plant. Yet another flower which has done very well this summer, however, something has been eating the foliage on these.

Dahlias
Dahlias

Having seen butterflies around and bees around the Black-eyed Susans at Blaen-y-Cwm, I decided I wanted some in my garden. I ended up coming home from a garden centre with a more compact version, this Rudbeckia Little Gold Star.

Rudbeckia 'Little Gold Star'
Rudbeckia ‘Little Gold Star’

The Red-tailed Bumblebee spent quite some time on the Hebe. A White-tailed Bumblebee landed next to it and was soon pushed away. It obviously wanted some peace, and, to be fair, the Hebe plant has plenty of flowers to go around. The White-tailed Bumblebee just needed to choose a different part of the plant!

Red-tailed Bumblebee and a White-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe.
Red-tailed Bumblebee and a White-tailed Bumblebee on Hebe.
The Red-tailed Bumblebee back on its own on the Hebe.
The Red-tailed Bumblebee back on its own on the Hebe.
The White-tailed Bumblebee on the Hebe.
The White-tailed Bumblebee on the Hebe.

I love my pinks, purples and blues, so when I saw a Penstemon in these colours at The Old Coach House garden I knew I had to get one. Such wonderful colours!

Penstemon
Penstemon

Again, the Marigolds have done very well this year and have flowered throughout the summer. They’re always a joy to photograph.

Marigold
Marigold

Fuchsias have always been a feature in the garden. I remember them in the garden of the house I grew up in.

Fuchsia
Fuchsia

Finally, tomatoes! Still waiting to ripen.

Tomatoes waiting to ripen.

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How is your garden doing now summer is almost over?

28 comments

  1. Kelly says:

    Your photos are always gorgeous! Love the bumblebee battles. It’s funny how territorial birds and insects can be. 🙂

    We’re still getting some tomatoes and a few gardenia blooms. I’m hoping my moonflower will go to seed so I can stock up for next year! It’s been brutally hot the past week or so with no relief in sight.

  2. CherryPie says:

    Lovely photos 🙂 In the past week near to me it is the butterflys that are prolific. It is a wonderful site to see. Unfortunately they don’t stay still long enough for all but the occasional photograph.

  3. jeanie says:

    Your garden is simply unbelievable, it’s so beautiful! Oh, I love that “Delicious Candy”– I’ve never seen that one before and I love the pink center. I’ve only seen the white-tailed bumblebees here (although I never knew about the white tail part!). Every photo is dazzling! (Thanks for stopping by the other day!)

  4. chickenruby says:

    My garden just doesn’t exist in the summer in Dubai, shrubs and grass sort of survive due to the humidity but the plants and flowers don’t stand a chance. Gorgeous photographs

  5. So wonderful, to have so many bees!!!!!!!

    We don’t really have a lot of flowers in the back… Just in pots, on patio. And I really wonder if the flowers we get from the nursery, are not “good”??? They don’t seem to attract bees, as I think they should.
    -sigh-

  6. Nikki, what gorgeous new additions to your garden and great to see they are bringing the bumble bees in. In my own garden two of our apple trees are proving very fruitful and our bird feeding is swamped. Sadly we don’t have any flowers.

  7. Jayne says:

    Absolutely beautiful – you put me to shame. Late season blooms are something I never seem to master, despite telling myself every 12 months “this year I am really going to sort out late-flowering perennials”. I am very envious of all your flowers and the photos are excellent

  8. Kris P says:

    This may be the first time in viewing a UK gardener’s blog that I can say that most of the flowers you featured are currently also growing in my own garden in coastal Southern California. I love the bee shot. Our carpenter bees are similar in size but don’t have the red rump.

  9. Lisa says:

    Wow, your flowers are doing beautifully, so vibrant and colourful, no wonder they’re bee magnets! Our dahlia leaves have all been munched too, I’m not sure who the culprits are, caterpillars perhaps? And I love your osteospermums, all mine have died and I’ve missed them this year, I’ll have to restock ready for 2020. Lovely round up, thank you for brightening my day 🙂 Lisa x

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