Late summer is a wonderful time to visit the Garden. Enjoy some highlights including roses, hibiscus, daylilies, gardenias, sacred lotus and many more favorites.
Dahlias (Again)
We hope you're not tired of dahlias, because August is their best month yet! Dahlias remain a very popular choice for wedding flowers in August, due to the wide variety of shapes, colors, and sizes available.
July & August Blooms
While some annual flowers may need a haircut, or may even slow down in the heat of the summer, many perennials continue to flourish and thrive into July and August. Read on to learn more about fantastic perennials that add color to the landscape in mid to late summer.
For this Blooming Period, we're highlighting some late summer/fall favorites: callas; China asters; lisianthus; perennial sunflowers; and zinnias.
By late July, most perennial gardens are past their prime and look pretty dull for the rest of the season. Fortunately, there are many perennials that bloom in late summer, including coneflower, asters, mums, Russian sage, cimicifuga, sedum, rudbeckia, and phlox.
The good thing is that you actually have options, because August has two birth flowers: the gladiolus and the poppy. Both are beautiful blooms with unique characteristics and interesting meanings.
Gladiolus, a symbol of strength and love, provides height to the garden and a splash of much-needed color in the final full month of the summer season. The poppy, known best for its red color and made famous by a poem written more than a century ago, has long been associated with those lost during times of war.
Larkspur, or delphinium, is the flower associated with July, blooming just in time for those summer babies to enjoy each year.
Asters. The starlike flowers of asters are the grand finale of perennial flowers that bloom from spring to fall, almost completely covered in blooms late in the summer and often lasting until the first frost. Asters typically flower in deep purple and lush lavender, but there are also white and pink varieties.
Dahlias are an obvious choice when it comes to what to plant in August, as they will flower right up to the first frosts and several varieties bring added interest with bronze foliage. You can also rely on long-blooming salvias, astilbes, sunny rudbeckias and gaillardias, asters, sedums and heleniums.
Passionflower is a perennial vine (meaning it comes back every year) that dies back in the fall; it needs rich well-drained soil and partial shade to full sun. With winding tendrils, this vine can climb vertical structures like trellises and armatures created from chicken wire or similar materials.
The Shinobazu Pond is one of the best lotus flower viewing spots in Tokyo. The flowers will stay in bloom until mid-August. You need to get up early in the morning if you want to see it.
August symbols
Its birth flower is the gladiolus or poppy, meaning beauty, strength of character, love, marriage and family. The Western zodiac signs for the month of August are Leo (until August 22) and Virgo (from August 23 onwards).
August Birthstone FAQs
Due to its similar coloring, peridot was often mistaken for sardonyx, and was eventually adopted as the second August birthstone. Spinel was added as an alternate gemstone for August in 2016 in an effort to make modern updates to the birthstone list.
August Birthstone: Peridot. August Birthstone Color is Yellow Green. Late summer, with its blazing heat and abundant greenery, is a time for cooling activities, light, summery clothing, and a laid-back lifestyle.
Peonies come in a wide variety of colors from white to blush, pink, coral, fuchsia and red. There is a color to complement and enhance any bridal theme. American grown peonies are readily available during the peak wedding months, from May to August.
August is a great time to celebrate this varied genus since hydrangeas are known for their prolific blooms that begin early in the season and often continue into the fall, with some varieties even changing color throughout the season.
Virgo's flower: the chrysanthemum
Chrysanthemums come in a variety of colours, from pink, purple and white, to yellow and orange – each with their own special meaning. But in general, these blooms symbolise love, loyalty and friendship.
Zinnia. A popular flower for gardeners, zinnias are lauded for being a tough, easy-to-grow annual that bloom non-stop all summer. "They make outstanding cut flowers and are much loved by butterflies," says Montgomery.