Garden Bloggers' Bloom Day - June '09

Here we are in the middle of June already! Time really flies when you're having fun, doesn't it? I have lots to show for this June Bloom Day, so let's take a tour. I hope you're not in a hurry.

Outside the back door the cheery yellow Evening Primrose has just begun to bloom. I've been planting window boxes and containers these past few days. Once they're finished I have annuals and perennials to plant, weeds to pull, perennials to thin....the list goes on.....but that's gardening, always a work in progress. Spring is an especially busy time with so much to do all at once, but it's so good to be outdoors, digging in the dirt again after those long months of winter.

Most of my gardens are messy at the moment, but this Rose/Clematis garden is the exception. I usually work on it first so that I can walk out the back door and see at least one area looking tidy. If you click to enlarge the photo you'll have a better view of the following few plants...

Clematis Carnaby, to the right of the window, has all her blooms down low at the moment.

Iris Beverly Sills is tucked in on the other side of the window, beside Clematis Jackmanii, which is full of buds, but not yet blooming.

Just before we turn the corner there's a lovely patch of Sweet William. Pansies are smiling amid the self-sown Alyssum and Johnny-jump-ups.

Turning the corner we see columbine in a deep wine shade, a container of pansies, and another with red ivy geraniums.

Looking up the driveway toward the barn we see a nice clump of Iris Siberica. This clump will need thinning in August, but it's certainly putting on a wonderful show at the moment.

Heading down around the corner to the Spring Garden we find Bleeding Hearts blooming their heads off. The last hard frost on May 19th damaged the pink bushes quite badly, and turned most of the lovely pink strings of hearts to a pale, shriveled version of their former selves, but they have since rebounded nicely and are looking bright and pretty again. The white bush was hardly touched....I suppose because it's tucked into the corner and a little more sheltered.

Forget-me-nots are still blooming here, there and everywhere.

Hannah followed me today as I wandered around taking photos. She loves to be in the garden with me. That Bleeding Heart to the right of the steps has grown huge this spring, and with the hosta reaching over from the other side it's becoming a bit difficult to use the steps. I need to get busy with my nippers and tame them a little.

Looking up behind Hannah you can see the overwintered geranium, Vancouver Centennial, in the same container as last year.

I'm so happy with this lovely basket I put together of Pink Morn wave petunias and lavender trailing Lobelia.

Before we head down the lawn let's have a look at the Top Driveway Garden.....

where Lupines stand tall and elegant...

...next to this perky red and yellow columbine.

Further up, on one end of the grape arbor, I planted a honeysuckle last summer....a passalong from my friend, Marie. I think it's a coral honeysuckle like the one Annie in Austin has in her Texas garden. Look closely and you'll see an ant of one of the tubular flowers.

Heading down the left side of the driveway we find the magical tissue paper-like blooms of the Oriental poppies.

In vivid orange-red....

....and soft salmon pink, my personal favorite.

In the row of lilacs on the bank, the little Miss Canada, planted just last year, is a late bloomer. Her leaves were damaged by the frost and we thought at first she was dying from a dreaded disease. It was a great relief to see her recover and bloom.

We find this pretty yellow sedum down in the Rock Garden.

And over in the Lily Garden is another gorgeous clump of the Siberian Iris. Isn't the color amazing?

If we look beyond the iris we see the Driveway Garden, but let's go first to the Fence Garden at the bottom of the driveway.

Here we have white Lupines and pink Fox Gloves looking lovely together, with columbine in the background.

I love the white against the clear blue sky. We only had a few hours when the sky was clear and the sun shone warmly today. Rain showers kept spoiling my photoshoot and planting endeavours.

There's a lot of green in the gardens but we find clumps of color here and there. The pink and red is Sweet William, faithfully blooming in time to grace graduation party tables.

The Lemon Lilies are just beginning to open, and there's more Columbine.

This Salvia is a passalong from our DIL and son's garden.

Palest peach Verbascum grows in delicate spikes.

And pink columbine looks like little fairy frocks.

Next we find the Lilac Garden with more Columbine and Bearded Irises.

Pretty purple....

Two shades together with a touch of gold.....

Almost black tones, with a rich purple.

The lovely Beverly Sills again.

On the other side of the front porch Brunnera Jack Frost is surrounded on either side by a pretty Euphorbia and hostas.

See the tiny caterpillar on the Brunnera blossom?

On the north side of the house is the Daisy garden. I love the combination of pink Columbine and white Daisies.

The veggie garden is over to the left but we won't go there this tour.

Jacob's Ladder is one of many flowers growing in the North Side Garden.

Here we are at the Pink Garden, opposite the back door. The Lamium has spread into too large an area and needs to be cut back. I'll plant some as ground cover on the front bank, down by the road. Pretty purple Aubrietta is still blooming. It lasts longer than Creeping Phlox.

Outside the back door blooms a basket of one of my favorite Petunias...Rasberry Blast (a Proven Winner). This is the 3rd year I've bought this one because it lasts so well. I feed it a weak solution of plant food each time I water it.

Now are you ready for a nice cup of tea or coffee, or a tall glass of iced tea?

To see what's blooming in many more gardens, go and visit Carol at May Dreams Gardens, where Bloom Day's seed took root over 2 years ago. It has grown amazingly well since then!

Happy Bloom Day everyone!