The end of summer is upon us. I will be glad to move on. I love gardening, it’s my happy place, but summer has been hard; checking the weather on my phone too many days, hoping and praying for rain, and then getting too much rain and humidity.

I always look back when new seasons are approaching; what plants worked well, and which plants I need to move to another area or remove completely.

Phlox is the perennial on the far left and far right in the photo. This photo does not show it, but every summer phlox gets white powdery mildew caused by rainy, humid days. I love the bright pink colors of the phlox, but not the powdery mildew. I dug up all of the pink phlox. Enough is enough. I know I could use a spray to rid it of the mildew, but sprays could potentially harm pollinators.

In spring I researched Drought-tolerant plants: plants that are able to survive during times when water is scarce. I was happy to see I have some of the plants listed: Coneflowers, Black-eyed Susan, Butterfly Milkweed, Lavender, and Russian Sage.

Coneflowers

Black-eyed Susan

Butterfly Milkweed

Lavender (behind the roses)

Russian Sage – The plant with the long lavender flower spikes hovering over the Roxanne Geranium.

Most grasses once established are drought tolerant. There are many beautiful grasses in the plant world. Mixing grasses with perennials and shrubs can beautify garden beds because grasses add texture and change colors in different seasons. And the best part: grasses are low maintenance. I planted three ‘Karl Foerster’ grasses

This is a photo of my “Karl Foerster’ grass glowing in the afternoon sun.

I saw Pink Muhly Grass at a local garden center. I purchased three; planting in groups of three creates visual harmony. The description on the tag said tiny pink flowers will emerge from the tops of the stems and look like a pink haze blooming in fall.

I love the simplicity of variegated leaves in Sedge. It is a versatile grass and blends in beautifully with other plants, such as hosta and astilbe.

Sedge survives the winter in my concrete pot.

Thinking about all the bloggers I follow that live and garden in far-a-way places. Throughout summer their posts have been about the lack of water in their gardens. Gardeners are resilient and always look forward to what’s next. We wait in anticipation and know gardens hold a promise.

Please share how your garden has endured the summer.