GBBD: June Blooms

Can you believe that we are halfway through June already? Where has the time gone? Of course, the good part of it being mid-month is that it's once again time for Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. Spring blooms have long since faded, but June is the real beginning of summer beauty in the garden here in Zone 5. Let's have a quick look around to see what is blooming today.

In the "back forty," as I call it, where things grow wildly without much help from the gardener, the first hollyhock bud has opened. Judging by the number of buds, there will be many more blooms in the coming weeks.

Last fall I had the bright idea to turn a small area in this back yard into a "wild" garden, planting some native plants and others to attract butterflies. I started with some passalongs, like this false sunflower given to me by my friend Beckie. I remember how long it took her to eradicate these from her garden as they spread all over. I have lots of space, so I don't think I'll regret planting these--they're really quite pretty, aren't they?

I've also added starts from some of my "spreaders," like the "Appleblossom" yarrow pictured above as well as some coneflower seedlings. New plants and many seeds were added this spring, but nothing else is ready to bloom yet, so I am going to wait until later in the summer to do a post on this area--that is, provided it turns out:)

Behind this area there are some less desirable plants, like this shrub that has turned into a small tree. It's what I generically call a "weed tree," but can anyone identify what it is?

Speaking of spreading plants, the daylilies "Stella d'Oro" have just begun to bloom. It's no wonder these lilies are ubiquitous in commercial plantings--they are so easy to grow, and they multiply like crazy. After seeing how congested mine were getting last year, I decided to divide them this spring. I gave away extras to friends and family and still had leftovers! The leftovers sat in a bucket for over a month until I decided out of desperation to plant them in front of one of the machine sheds. I'm not sure if Hubby, aka Mr. Procrastinator, appreciated the new landscaping there.

Another prolific self-seeder is the coneflower, but I will never grow tired of these. It's still too early for the real coneflower show here, but I was surprised to find two already beginning to bloom in the roadside garden.

Moving to the shade garden, the first hosta blooms have just appeared.

But I was really excited to see these astilbe blooms. I have killed more astilbes than I care to remember and had decided not to even try planting them anymore. I could have sworn I let this one die last year, too, but obviously it survived my neglect. I love these delicate blooms, and I've promised it I will keep it watered this summer.

Here's a plant no amount of neglect can kill--lamium (specific name forgotten). I do like this groundcover in the shade garden, but it has spread all over. I took some time this spring and dug most of it up, transplanting it nearby where it can spread to its heart's content.

Here is proof for my hypothesis that the best blooms appear on the 16th or the 17th of the month, just after Bloom Day. The pink-tinged outer petals of "Let's Dance Moonlight" suggest it will burst into full bloom any day now. This was a bargain purchase made last fall, so I am anxious to see what its blooms will actually look like.

Several plants have been blooming for a few weeks already. The knockout roses began to bloom before I left for Spring Fling, but they're not looking as good as usual this year. I had to prune them quite bit after our harsh winter, but I think there is something else going on with them which I haven't figured out yet.

There's no problem with the catmint, Nepeta "Walker's Low," though, other than the washed-out photo. This plant just keeps getting bigger each year and was one of the first perennials to bloom here.

It is definitely a bee magnet. Judging by the number of bees swarming around it this spring, there should be lots of pollination going on in my garden this spring. And are they ever busy bees! I must have taken 20 or more shots to get this one mediocre photo of one.

Although I have many, many annuals in bloom right now, I wasn't going to include those in today's post. But I do have to share this ivy geranium which attracted the first butterfly of the season. The noon-day sun makes its color faded, but I believe this is an Eastern Tiger Swallowtail--butterfly experts, am I right?

And last, but not least, my very own "river of salvia":) Okay, so it's not quite as impressive as the Lurie Gardens', but I have only three plants compared to the hundreds in the Lurie. Actually, there may only be two plants now--one of the two "East Frieslands" may have succumbed to the more robust "May Night." The "May Night" is definitely a vigorous salvia and one I would recommend, but the "East Frieslands" were planted for sentimental reasons, as my ancestors came from this part of Germany.


Speaking of the Lurie Gardens, I had the good fortune during Spring Fling to meet Carol of May Dreams Gardens, our hostess for the monthly Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day. And in case, you're wondering, yes, she is as lively and entertaining in person as she is on her blog. Be sure to visit her for other Bloom Day posts today.