Sunday, June 15, 2014

June Bloom Day

It's Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day once again--where has the time gone??  June is my favorite month, and here we are already halfway through it.  One of the reasons I always enjoy participating in this meme is that it gives me a monthly record of what is blooming throughout the year, and I can compare what is growing in my garden from year to year.  Looking back at last year's June post, I wasn't surprised to find that almost everything is later this year. Spring arrived late after the winter that wouldn't end, and then some hot days in May put a quicker than normal end to spring bulbs, but jump-started everything else.  Still, that jump-start wasn't quite enough to bring everything to its normal blooming time.


Usually by this time in June, I have a plethora of blooms from all the 'Stella d'Oro' lilies, but they are just beginning to open up.  Note my little lady friend on the bud.


Knockout roses are virtually indestructible, but even they were hit hard by this winter.  They, too, got a late start, but worst of all, there was some dieback.  I apologize for the bad photo, but I was trying to get a close-up.  The whole plant is not a pretty sight--I pruned these back hard this spring, but not enough. Time to get out the pruners and cut back all the bare canes sticking above the blooms, one more spring chore to add to the list.


The 'Radsunny' roses look a little better.  I bought two of these when they were fairly new on the market, and I wish I had known then that though the buds are a lovely yellow, they quickly fade to white as they open up.


 'Zephirine Drouhin' also got a hard pruning this spring.  She hasn't climbed up very far on the arbor trellis this year, but at least she's still putting out numerous pink blooms.

While the garden may be behind "schedule," one thing you won't hear me complain about this month is the weather.  We have had frequent rain showers, enough to keep all the plants happy.  Of course, it also means the weeds are happy, too, but I'll take some weeding time over a drought any day.


This is the time of year in the garden that I remember Christopher of Outside Clyde calling "the height of the lull."  It's that time of year between all the lovely spring bloomers and the riotous colors of daylilies and other summer flowers.  A couple of early coneflowers have appeared, but not the masses that I will have in a few weeks.  And I do mean masses--they have taken over my sidewalk bed and re-seeded themselves in a couple other flowerbeds as well!


 In a week or two, the lily show will begin as well. 
Act I begins with the Stellas, of course, and this Asiatic lily.


I bought a few of these bulbs at the Chicago Flower and Garden Show a few years ago, and I could have sworn I picked out Oriental lilies, not Asiatics.  Whatever tricks my mind has played on me, I do know I purchased "Salmon" lilies, but these hot orangey-red lilies are anything but salmon-colored!


Other blooms right now are much quieter:

'Neon Flash' Spirea, another shrub overdue for a good pruning.


'Little Henry' Itea


Lamium is filling in nicely as a groundcover in front of a large evergreen.  Note the little bee on the bloom.


This columbine has been blooming for several weeks.  I don't know its name as it was a tiny freebie in a hosta pot I purchased last year--I love a bargain like this, and I hope it re-seeds.


Other plants still blooming after several weeks--Delphinium, name forgotten.


'May Night' Salvia


Native Penstemons


But new blooms are on their way, such as this first bloom of the Nigella.


And the first red Poppy!  The seedlings are so thick in my garden that the pastel hues of June are surely going to turn into a red-hot July. 

What is blooming in your garden today?  To join in and see what is blooming all over, visit Carol at May Dream Gardens, who hosts GBBD the 15th of every month . . . when she's not busy picking peas:)

25 comments:

  1. Your blooms look great to me Rose. I have had some of the same dieback. I have a climbing rose that is two feet tall. Geez. I don't know if it is ever going to recover. This has been a beautiful spring. Happy GBBD.

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  2. Where has the time gone! I wanted to stop by ...happy GBBD...I'm always envious when I see beautiful flowers that I have never even seen...

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  3. Whatever they are those lilies are stunning. You have lots of lovely June blooms. Zephirine Drouhin is a great favourite of mine. I have her climbing up the wall of the house.

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  4. Rose, your flowers are gorgeous !
    I love these colors in the garden !
    Have a nice Sunday :)

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  5. Wow, so many beautiful flowers in your garden at this moment Rose. I love to see it.
    Have a wonderful sunday.

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  6. Love that first poppy and amazing how the coneflowers grow so well in your garden. Must be a magnificent view!
    Marian

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  7. Everything is so beautiful in your garden. I never cease to be amazed at the difference in our climate. You are always a couple of steps ahead of me.

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  8. I just planted my first Knockout Rose this spring --I'm glad to hear that you've had good luck with yours. My climbing rose died all the way back to the ground from that winter, so it'll be awhile before I see any flowers from that!

    This has been a wonderful spring, as far as rain goes. So nice to have just enough!

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  9. That picture of the Radsunny roses is quite striking. Do you grow your nigella from seed? I agree with your assessment of the weather. Things are blooming late, but it's uneven. The stalks aren't even coming up yet out of the daylilies.

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  10. Very nice selection of mid month blooming Rose, we have much the same in bloom now. I noticed the same on daylilies. Mine are also later this year where many other plants are blooming out of their regular time. Early for your little friend though. My peonies got hit by a fierce storm and all the petals dropped in one day. Sad they don't last longer since the weather has been cooler. Nice to see all that color, looks like your bloom season is off to a great start.

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  11. What a lovely display Rose.
    I love Nigella.....for some reason my seedlings have all disappeared, rabbits maybe :(
    It is a seriously bad year for rabbits. Never known one like it.

    I bought a lot of Day Lily last year. I will be interested to see how they perform.
    I think they are such a striking feature in a border.

    June is most certainly a lovely month in your garden Rose.

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  12. Rose, it's looking good in your part of the world. We are just starting to come out of the lull, thank goodness. I'm still mostly green though. Thank goodness too for green foliage instead of drought stricken beige. Happy Bloom Day!~~Dee

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  13. I'm with you on a weeding day versus a drought day! Lovely blooms!

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  14. Very pretty flowers, Rose. I'm not sure I'd call it a "lull", though I do understand what you mean. I'm envious of your coneflowers---they are a favorite of my woodchucks, so I don't have any. I didn't lose any roses over the winter, but they are very slow in coming back this year. My pink Knockout is only about a foot high and has no buds yet, whereas it was blooming well by June bloom day last year. Well, every year is different and interesting in its own way, I guess!

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  15. Nice garden, Rose!
    Love your Knockout roses, always look fresh and healthy, although after cold winter. Your 'Neon Flash' Spirea flowers very pretty, I have another one with pink blooming, is in bud now.
    Happy GBBD!

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  16. Your garden is doing so well despite the long harsh winter. Such gorgeous blooms!

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  17. I really enjoyed peeking at your June blooms Rose. Must find a room for a lamium :)

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  18. Rose, I'm so glad I found your blog through GBBD. You are the first fellow central Il blog I have come across. You are waaaay ahead of me as my garden is on year 1 (trying to spruce up newer construction). I will be keeping a close eye on your blooms and shamelessly copying some of what you do.

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  19. Rose, I'm so glad I found your blog through GBBD. You are the first fellow central Il blog I have come across. You are waaaay ahead of me as my garden is on year 1 (trying to spruce up newer construction). I will be keeping a close eye on your blooms and shamelessly copying some of what you do.

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  20. Lots of pretty blooms in your GBBD post Rose. The Native Penstemon especially caught my eye. My garden continues to run a few weeks behind as well.
    Have a wonderful weekend!

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  21. Seems we have had a similar weather pattern. An awful long and cold winter followed by a cold spring. Wish ours would finally start to warm up though. My blooms are very slow to come out this year. I am oohing and aahing over your salvia and penstemons in the meantime. I have neither in my garden and I'm thinking they should be on the wishlist. Beautiful plants.

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  22. Rose how wonderful to see roses, columbine, lilies, daylilies, echinacea and so many flowers all blooming at the same time. Stunning blooms.

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  23. Thanks, all, for visiting! As I usually do on GBBD, I'm trying to visit everyone's posts instead writing too many replies here. Hope you are enjoying summer!

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  24. Lookin' good! Maybe you'll have red poppy blooms on the 4th of July. One of my favorite roses has been having a hard time bouncing back after our extra cold winter, too. I'm hoping some summer sun will revive it. :(

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  25. I love May Night Salvia and Purple Coneflowers! It's so nice when a plant is happy and spreads nicely with not much effort from the gardener (but not too much, of course!) There is always things to learn, isn't there? Nature is such a vast thing.

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