We were driving on the Colonial Parkway beside the James River earlier this week when we noticed a thick colony of pink and white Hibiscus Moscheutos in full bloom. A large colony growing in wetlands is simply spectacular. These herbaceous perennials grow to 4′-6′ tall and wide each spring before covering themselves with flowers in late July and August. Each wide flower has a prominent ‘furry’ looking pistil column covered in short, pollen bearing anthers growing directly out of the side of the stye. As you might imagine, these generous flowers attract hummingbirds, butterflies, native bees, and many other pollinating insects to their banquet.

Each flower lasts only a day or two, but the buds keep opening on each stem over a period of weeks, before the seed capsules turn brown in the fall. Birds feast on the seeds through the early winter. These native Hibiscus want consistently moist acidic to neutral soil in full to part sun. They can tolerate some brackish water and so are found all over our area along rivers, creeks, ponds, and swamps.

But they will grow in drier conditions, too, and we have enjoyed several clumps that were already growing in our yard when we took over this garden. Other than a little water in dry spells, the only care we give is to cut down last summer’s woody stalks in early spring. New growth comes from the crown each summer.

We planted a showy red hybrid at some point, and while it is still alive it hasn’t bloomed for several years. Perhaps it is in too much shade, now. These plants are sun lovers and want their own space to thrive. These are a much larger flowering, herbaceous, native version of the woody H. syriacus, Rose of Sharon shrubs that grow all over our yard. (last photo in the series above) The shrubs are native to the Middle East but have been in the trade for a long time, and naturalize in our area.

The Hibiscus are blooming a little late in the season this year. I found the first flowers of the summer in our yard, this morning. We’ve had good rain this week, a few thunderstorms, and enough heat that I’ve stayed indoors most days. The wildfire smoke returned for a few days mid-week, too.

Other late summer perennials in our garden look like they are poised to bloom soon, but the real color still comes from our collection of tender Begonias and Aroids, the geraniums, ferns and herbs. Few of the showiest ferns are native. Which means that without our ‘exotic’ plants from around the world, our yard wouldn’t have much to look at this week beyond moss, oak trees, the native Hydrangeas, and some weedy look perennials approaching shoulder height.

Our tender Begonias, ferns, Caladiums and other Aroids were in sad shape when we finally brought them outside in late May and early June. I’m happy to say that most survived and have clothed themselves in new leaves. Some are in full bloom once again. Our Begonias are among the success stories this week.

We’ve had enough heat and humidity now to inspire our ‘tropical exotic’ plants to relax and grow. We are growing some small specialty Begonias and ferns in hanging baskets. I planted most of these from divisions or plugs this spring, so it is their first season.

One of my favorites is the rabbit’s foot fern. The furry foot is actually a rhizome, and fronds grow individually along its length. The other is an Pteris tabletop or ribbon fern. Begonia foliosa ‘Tiny Pink’ grows with the ribbon fern and Saxifraga stolonifera.

Selaginnella is neither a moss nor a fern. It is a genus of low growing, branching vascular plants with simple, scaly leaves. Roots emerge from its creeping stems. Some species are hardy in our climate and serve as good ground cover. The one growing in this basket is a new variety to me and I suspect that it is tender. At any rate, it will come indoors this fall. with its companion tender footed ferns.

Naturalists generally encourage planting natives to support various insects, which support the rest of the food web. We are told that specialist insects usually won’t eat exotic plants. So I’ve been watching our plants for insect damage. Something besides the deer certainly nibbles on some of the leaves. Maybe some of these exotics really do support the ecosystem here in more ways than we expect. Certainly they support pollinators with their nectar, and grazers with their leaves.

Another success story this week is the Salvia that fell victim to my string trimmer two weeks ago. There is lots of new growth appearing from the crown of the plant, and the stems are beginning to root in water indoors. I’ll pot those up in the next few days. I’ve been potting up rooted Begonia stems this month, along with some ‘cuttings’ rescued from a grazed Hydrangea. Thank goodness many plants will root quickly and easily in the summer.

Already today we have watched a young rabbit nibbling grass near the front patio, a little toad hopping along the gravel behind our house, a blue tailed skink clinging to a window screen while I watered containers, native bees gathering their breakfast, ants on the Hibiscus, and a mother cardinal bathing in a bowl of water. We have listened to many types of birds singing in the trees around the house. I also found a new bird’s nest in a shrub this morning. We enjoy the many animals that live in the garden, even those birds who sing before sunrise.

We are trying to find a balance between providing habitat and support for the many indigenous species that live here, and the insect and Avian travelers who visit, while still growing plants we enjoy and that make us happy. We enjoy color and texture and the fun of growing something new. I’ll count this week, this month, and this summer a success on both counts.

With appreciation to Jim Stephens of Garden Ruminations, who hosts Six on Saturday each week.

Late Summer in the Garden: To Do, To Do Less, and What to Avoid

You might enjoy my series of posts, Plants I Love That Deer Ignore.

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