End of Summer Blossoms: Perennial Edition

Last time I showed you what was blooming in the vegetable garden. Of course, they are many other flowers around our house that are unrelated to eventual eating. Here's what's opened up in the perennial border:

The Dublin Bay climbing roses I put in early in the summer are still way too small to require a trellis, but they have put out some fall blooms.

This is a bloom of the hardy geraniums I got at half off at the beginning of August. They managed to survive their root-bound state and less-than-optimal planting time. The leaves are supposed to be brilliant red in the fall, so that is another thing to look forward to.

Echinacea blooms. These are also doing well for having been planted in August, and for having been purchased from the Home Depot, of all places. I'm not deadheading these as the blooms fade so I can see if the seed heads last in an interesting way through the fall and winter. These are along the driveway, and that's a spot where winter interest could actually be enjoyed (until snowblowing buries them, anyway).

Another survivor: my heat wave daisies. There's not a ton of blooms, but the leaves are lush and I have high expectations for next summer.

A bumblebee getting drunk in one of the white roses. He was nosing around, completely enfolded in the petals and I had to stand there and wait for him to crawl out to get this photo. These are White-Out roses, which are the white version of Knock-Out Roses. The first bush I planted is absolutely flush with blooms. The second one isn't yet, but I've been completely impressed with these.

This white phlox is still blooming, even though the stems are all lying flat on the ground. They were planted late so they didn't have very strong stems to start with, and then came Hurricane Irene to beat on them. Still pretty, though, and they smell wonderful.

This is gaura "Snow Fountain," and it has been blooming non-stop since I planted it in July. I love it.

Finally, a mystery. The are my White Clips. That's right, WHITE clips. This one section of one plant has been putting out mutant purple blooms. It started white, but in its second and third flowering, I have a little purple section. Not the whole plant — just part. I let Tiegan pick them when she notices them, and everyone is happy.