The prairie pot garden by the deck looks nice. The purple agastache Black Adder is really nice. It's upright, full and bouncy in the breeze.
The hairy goldenaster has not bloomed yet (the other by the driveway has, and is gone by already). It sprawls around the pots nicely, though, filling in gaps.
When I sit in the leather recliner in the living room and look out the slider, this group of plants is full and lush and summery and it frames the birdbath just beyond beautifully. I can sit there and just watch the scene endlessly.
But two of the red salvia greggii I recently got to replace the leggy Windwalker Red salvia are kind of funny. The blooms have a lot of white in them, making the effect sort of pink. A third one is all red.
I liked the solid bright red of the Radio Red salvia greggii last year. The two that survived in the kitchen courtyard are sparse and small but so red. Nice.
The strappy arching foliage looked great all spring and early summer but has browned out terribly now. Does it want more shade? It gets some, but is in sun in the afternoons.
The soil is consistently moist, the plants are putting out some flower spikes, but boy does it look ratty. I'm not sure if I'll keep it next year.
It is also watered and the soil is consistently moist. It too may want more shade; it gets about a half day of sun.
But unlike the unattractive browning crocosmia foliage, this oregano may just have a lifespan that dries out as it matures. The dry foliage looks papery and is kind of nice in its way.
With all our rain and my frequent watering most of the garden looks pretty good now.