The last flowers of summer

For the last few days, we've been threatened with frost, and I thought I saw some on the grass early yesterday morning, but a few last flowers have been carrying bravely on even after the goldenrod and asters have called it quits for the year. This afternoon, I cut with abandon and now have bouquets for the house.

• The lavender has decided to bloom again, giving the possibility of sweet scents through the winter.
• The cosmos, which limped along in our nearly-sterile yellow clay all summer, have all decided to bloom at once.
• Coleus aren't flowers (or at least, the flowers aren't what I like about them), but all three varieties in our porch pots this year continue to be spectacular.
• Most of the rudbeckia have gone to seed, but several of the old-fashioned black-eyed susans have thrown out their endlessly cheerful, bright-yellow blossoms, keeping company with late gaillardia (which are going enthusiastically to seed, giving the hope of more to come next year).
• The snapdragons continue to send up spikes in pink, burgundy, yellow, and white, and last forever in vases.
• The deep coral-red hummingbird mint planted only this summer continues to bloom.
• Salvia "Hummingbird Coral," lantana, and sedum make a symphony of pinks that go nicely with the burgundy-leafed physocarpus in the streetside garden.
• And one last gaura has sent up a flower spike, which sits cheerfully on the table next to my chair.

Summer probably won't hang on much longer, but the show has been spectacular.