August Blooms - Sunflowers Again

I'm linking up with Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day today, and am looking forward to seeing what's in other gardens around the Internets. In my garden this month it's all about the sunflowers: 

The teddy bear sunflowers have begun their second life. The first set of blooms lasted a couple of weeks before succumbing to the brutal summer heat, but these new buds were on deck waiting to bloom.

I have a mystery flower. This is the mystery sunflower that bloomed amongst the Chianti sunflowers last week. Not sure what variety it is, but it's very pretty.

This is what a Chianti sunflower looks like! It bloomed a few days ago, and I'm so happy to see this beautiful flower in my garden again this year. 

Unfortunately, the Chiantis are not as tall as they were last year, and the heads aren't as big either. But  there are other Chianti buds growing behind the first bloom, so I should have more flowers soon. 

Sadly the Coconut Ice sunflowers that bloomed last month didn't even last two weeks, but there are new buds growing on the stalk, so I should have another set of Coconut Ice blooms later this summer.

The Pink Diamond hydrangea tree is blooming. The blooms are white in the summer, but by fall they will turn a deep shade of pink. The tree has been slower to bloom this year compared to last, and there don't seem to be as many blooms or as many butterflies, bees, and other winged visitors as there were last year. 

Also in bloom, as I mentioned on Friday, the Mighty Petunia.

Happy GBBD!

The Mighty Petunia

Petunia - June 12

Petunia - August 11

I had no idea petunias were so tough! I have neglected the petunia this summer. It's in the front yard in a spot between my driveway and the neighbors', and quite frankly, I just forget about it sometimes. My focus is always on the vegetables in the back. Until last night, I had not watered it since June, but look at it! The blooms are as pretty as they were months ago when I planted them. If anything, the plants have grown in the last two months! And best of all, they were on sale for maybe $1 each. I am impressed, Miss Petunia!

Sunflower Surprise?

I've been anxiously waiting for the rest of my sunflowers to bloom. But now that they are blooming, they  don't look quite like I expected...

Almost a Mammoth Sunflower, August 6

August 9 bloom. The flower is a lot smaller than last year's. At first glance, I thought the flower looked nothing like the mammoths I grew before, because the center seems smaller in proportion to the rest of the flower, and the petals just looked different. But when I compared pictures, I realized the petals and center do look the way they should. 

Three almost Chianti hybrid Sunflowers, August 6

The first one bloomed yesterday...This is not a Chianti sunflower. Chiantis have dark red petals--no yellow! My baby got switched at birth!

Did a different kind of seed get slipped into the packet? Could something have happened during pollination? It's pretty, but this does not look like the Chiantis I grew last year.  This flower came from a bud (top picture) that didn't look like the other buds, which have the tell-tale purple markings of a Chianti. I'm crossing my fingers that I get my beautiful deep red flowers. In the meantime, I'll enjoy this pretty sunflower, but I'd like to know what variety it is.

I'm linking up with Fishtail Cottage's Cottage Flora weekly meme this week. Looking forward to seeing other blooms around the Internets.