Hello from Greenwood Nursery,

Some plants apparently didn't get the memo that summer is winding down.

We're getting closer to fall, and you can feel the garden beginning to change.

Some plants are looking a little tired. Some have finished flowering. And after months of heat, there are certainly places in the garden that are ready for a rest.

But then there are the others that just keep going.

Steve planted some Mesa Red Gaillardia in the raised beds at our house back in May. They've been blooming ever since.

May. June. July. August.

And now we're heading into September—and they're still blooming as strong as before.

Every time I walk past them, I think about just how much enjoyment we've gotten from those little plants this summer.

And they're not the only ones still looking good.

Around the nursery this week, there are plants flowering, putting out fresh new growth and looking as though they have plenty more garden season left in them.

So those are the five we're featuring this week.

Five That Are Still Going Strong

🌺 Mesa Red Gaillardia

Four months of flowers...and counting.

These are the ones Steve planted in our raised beds and they've just kept on blooming.

Bright red flowers have carried those beds through the heat of summer and right toward fall. We even make small bouquets for the kitchen table.

Sometimes the best recommendation we can give a plant is simply this:

We grow it at home, too.

→ Shop Mesa Red Gaillardia

🌼 Uptick Gold & Bronze Coreopsis

Still blooming. Still gorgeous.

Uptick Gold & Bronze is looking particularly beautiful at the nursery right now.

Its golden-yellow flowers with rich bronze-red centers bring exactly the kind of warm color that seems to belong in the garden as summer begins leaning toward fall.

And you know I have a soft spot for this one.

→ Shop Uptick Gold & Bronze Coreopsis

🦋 Monarch Blue Knight Buddleia

The butterflies aren't finished yet, either.

Monarch Blue Knight is still blooming, which means there's still time for butterflies, hummingbirds and other garden visitors to stop by.

This is one of those shrubs that can make a garden feel alive—not simply because of its flowers, but because of everything those flowers invite into the garden.

→ Shop Monarch Blue Knight Buddleia

🌿 Ralph Shugert Vinca

Look at all that fresh growth.

Our young Ralph Shugert plants are bursting with beautiful new variegated foliage right now.

And that's a nice reminder that garden interest doesn't always have to come from flowers.

The creamy-edged green leaves brighten shady spaces and give you something attractive at ground level long after many flowering plants have finished their show.

→ Shop Ralph Shugert Vinca

🌿 Hill Hardy Rosemary

Green, fragrant and useful.

Then there's rosemary.

Hill Hardy gives you that wonderful fragrance every time you brush against the foliage—and a few sprigs for the kitchen whenever you need them.

It's one of those plants that earns its place in more than one way.

Put it somewhere you walk past regularly. You'll understand why.

→ Shop Hill Hardy Rosemary

Summer Isn't Finished Yet

We're beginning to talk about fall planting.

We're noticing cooler mornings.

And before long, we'll be watching leaves begin to change.