I am always torn this time of the season. While I'm anxious to see the late-season PHLOX (some of my favorite varieties begin blossoming in Aug.) I know it marks the beginning of the end of the growing season at my place.

PHLOX are an incredibly hardy perennial that has been included in gardens just about forever....and there are entire books devoted to this ridiculously large family of flowers. They are first divided into early, mid or late season varieties then sub-divided into short, medium or tall varieties and finally, by color. Colors range from pure white to blue, purple and red as well as mulit-colored varieties. While I grow a absurd number of all sorts of PHLOX the red ones seen in this image are definitely one of my favorites.

Surprisingly, the red PHLOX pictured here is called 'Orange'....lol Variety names of flowers sometimes make no sense whatsoever. Regardless, living in a bed w/ yellow and white flowers it makes a stunning late-season statement every Aug. at my place. Photographed late on an overcast day.