What’s Blooming: June Bloom

It’s been rainy here but today in June, the sun blooms. Purple podded peas … blooming in the sun.

Also in the Potager, herbs like chives and thymes are in flower. Borage is on the brink.

Chamomile (and Vetch) running rampant.

A first, Ornamental Clover, Trifolium Rubens, just beginning to bloom. (Last year the rabbits mowed it down.)

Just beginning, the first drops of Oenothera, in the Bird & Butterfly Garden (a blue and yellow stage along with Lady’s Mantle, Cranesbill).

Baptisia Twilite Prairieblues …

The Woodland Edge in its “Pink Fairy” stage with Tradescantia varieties brought to me by Jean’s Garden.

Jack in the Pulpit lingers in the shadows.

Flowering Raspberry, Rubus odoraus, is buzzing and vibrating with bees. Listen.

Meadow phlox, Phlox maculata or Wild Sweet William is loaded.

Flanked by Northern Blue Flag Iris.

Opposite the Woodland Edge, in new Hosta Row, Heucheras ‘Caramel’ and ‘Pinot Blanco’ soak up the sun.

Gazania Kiss Frosty Mix, kissed by the sun, out front where the sun is full.

Superfinia Petunia Lavender Lace in a window box.

A sweet seat on the front porch next to what I’ve dubbed as “hummingbird honey suckle.”

On the other side you can see the waterfall of blooms.

Sitting on the front porch you can take in the scent of Dianthus Greystone.

Chives and Catmint Walker’s Low line the sidewalk.

Common Milkweed is just beginning to bloom (IN the sidewalk), but I’ve yet to see a Monarch here in my garden.

If I were a Monarch, I would visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens for a great list of blooming gardens on Garden Blogger’s Bloom Day.

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What’s Growing

Things are sure getting off to a slow start this year with the wet spring we’ve had. It continues to rain. I have yet to plant four of my beds. Hopefully by the end of this Memorial Day weekend I can say otherwise. As you can see I have quite a few seedlings and plants still waiting to be planted.

Not sure if these “milk jug green houses” are more weeds than seeds right now but looks like I have a few good candidates, anyway.

This sad ‘Brandywine’ tomato seedling is missing the sun almost as much as me

Hope this brussels sprout takes off and doesn’t float away.

Sweet ‘lipstick’ peppers, oh how I hope you grow. My hot peppers are still in a little green house made from salad containers. Better for them I think considering I ran the heat this morning.

I read that once you plant calendula, you will never have to buy seeds again. These are all ‘Flashback’ volunteers from last year. I have also read that if you want your calendula to stay true to form, you should buy seeds every year. We’ll see how these look in bloom. I’ll be eating the flowers in salads – when I get my lettuce mixes growing.

A very brave ‘Easter Egg’ radish seedling.

I will be digging up all of this horseradish this fall and only replanting only a few roots to keep it from taking over (I hope anyway, if it grows.)

 

Snap peas that I planted late March. Looking good and starting to climb.

The garlic is also looking good.

The perennial herbs, garlic and common chives and tarragon, are coming in okay although I’m sure they would appreciate a better draining soil right now.

My new blueberry bush looks promising and is guarded by our old chiminea that sadly cracked during a backyard fire last fall. I think the chiminea will age gracefully in the garden.

The rhubarb is taking off this year. It looked pretty sad last summer in its first year so I am happy to see it doing better.

The ever bearing strawberries are spreading nicely. I hope to have a few berries soon.

I better get to planting the rest of the potager and hopefully will be able to share more with you next month.

Spiced Up Sidewalk

This tiny patch of lawn in front was just begging to be dug up! And so it was.

I planted creeping phlox (brought with me from ME), dianthus, hens and chicks (plucked from a nearby apartment), a mungo pine, thymes and even some chives (also from ME) as this area gets FULL sun. A lamb’s ear sprouted up (maybe from ME) and I encouraged it. (Some bulbs were thrown in there, too, for the next spring.) I got a little carried away and dug up some more lawn on the other side and started reshaping the front bed … anyway, these plants should do well with minimal watering.

It filled in nicely right away.

 

I was surprised to find some petunias (red) and snap dragons from the nearby baskets – fun! And I sprinkled some alyssum seeds in there to see if they would like it – they did.

 

I had a little trouble at first with the neighborhood dogs – we have a number that “walk themselves.” But a little cayenne or chile pepper sprinkled around this tiny patch does the trick! Too much for those sensitive noses. So, I encourage you to “spice up” your sidewalk.