Begonia Boliviensis the Species Begonia For Baskets and Tall Containers for Summer Fire

 Many try to avoid the brighter colors of August, especially the bright red, carmine and scarlet flowers that can seem so harsh when viewed in a catalog on a snowy January evening, but in-the-season, these brilliant colors somehow 'work'. Maybe it's because of their tropical heritage, or their hot tones seem less horrible when it is 90 degrees outside, or maybe it is a simple as the fact that there is a lot of green around to balance out all of the red. I can't explain how I discovered all of this red in the garden today, but I did - maybe I am finding my inner Christopher Lloyd, or maybe all of my P90X workouts is making me more agro, and I am just seeing red, maybe even, I am starting to become bored with my typical, more thoughtful 'designer' color palettes.... most likely, I am beginning to actually like red in the garden ( even though it isn't even Christmas).

Abutilon ' Firefly', is a nicer selection of the Flowering Maple. This cultivar remains small, almost dwarf. Our stay under 24 inches tall, yet are covered with red bell-shaped flowers all summer long ( and in the greenhouse, for much of winter, too!).

Red Geraniums ( Pelargoniums) are fine, but the variegated leaf forms are by far the best. They remind me of my childhood, so I always try to keep a few in the greenhouse and on sunny windowsills in the house. Nostalgic and attractive even when they are not in bloom.

Begonia boliviensis, a rather new hanging species begonia for baskets and tall containers for summer fire.

Variegated 'Crown of Thorns' 'White Lightning' ( Euphorbia millii) looks great in the winter, when it only has foliage, but in the summer, the summer thunderstorms coax out the bright red flowers making it worth while as a deck plant.

Yeah, these are those Chinese geese that you saw in many June posts. Almost full grown.

Red Single Dahlia's enjoy their season - August. Mixed strains of 'The Bishop' and seedlings, adds needed color to the perennial border.

Some Rare Plants

Alsophilaspinulosa
Short pointed, with edge obtuse teeth; In the veins of the leaf pinnate bifurcate, base and lower side small pulse from the base of the middle vine; Leaves papery, after working green, feather shaft, kohane axis and costa above bristles, rough grayish below small scales. Sori borne the group was born in lateral veins bifurcate place, near the costa, have every wire, "capsule, yea, indusium spherical, membranous.
Pen container tree.

Pen container tree
Sickle lanceolate, obtuse head, money rim; The veins of the ultimate lobes in feathered bifurcate, base on the lower side a group from kohane axis; Leaves thickly above, the following paper, green celadon; Feather shaft, kohane shaft above is ditch, bending light yellow hair; The secret is oval to ovate-lanceolate small scale and needle bristles. Sori borne spherical multicellular colonies lateral veins points in a fork, every wire, "capsule, yea, indusium specialized for simple scale hairy.

Leucomeris decora Kurz
Leaves small trees, a high 2 4 meters, 15 cm diameter at breast height; Bark gray, a crack; The small branches, the first white fluffy gray was after, variable glabrous. Leaves alternate, elliptic to oblong-lanceolate, 8 a 20 cm wide, 3-8 cm, margin entire or have thin jagged, apex acuminate, base cuneate, above the glabrous, below by white nap; Petiole 2 a 5 cm. Capitulum was born in branch in top shape, the umbrella room dense into wide after capitulum, about 5 cm wide; Each capitulum have small 4-6, total for the parents of both sexes, can white tubular flowers, 5 deep cleft leaves, first open; Total bracts many columns, outer is short, be cotton wool, inner lining strip oblong. The eastern oblong, coat, have the edges of a long article 10 5, about 12 mm; Crown hair pink, about 15 mm long.