Diary June 2011 - Glorious late Spring!

 Ah, June! Probably one of the loveliest months in the garden!!! Probably why a lot of garden tours are planned for June. Great time to be sitting outside while enjoying the view.
One of the most spectacular flowers in my garden in June are the peonies. Years ago, after the garden renovation, I moved all my peonies from various spots in the garden to around the deck. I may have bought one or two but most were gifts from the Dad of one of our best friends. This year, the wonderful thing was they did not explode because it was too hot nor did they get clobbered by violent storms. They bloomed, they looked radiant and then they just dried up and dropped their petals. Perfect cycle!!!
Here are some shots of how they looked in early June.

Irises are grand in June. I have a few flag irises left (the yellow ones are from a neighbour) and many clumps of Siberian iris. They don't last long but are fabulous when in bloom. Isn't the blue-purple colour so rich??

I have clematis in a few spots: on a metal support behind Elaine, on a wooden arbour and at the side of the house.

Penstemon 'Husker Red" was a Perennial of the year once and it is a beauty! The deep burgundy coloured leaves with delicate white flowers are so airy and light, they don't look real!

Some shrubs like viburnum and forsythia have come and gone but now Weigela and Serviceberry (berries!) rule.

Great perennials bloom in June. Here is Elaine surrounded by wild Columbine:

Perennial Cornflower - Centaura montana

Hostas

Oriental poppy

I saw these on a garden tour once in Guelph - foxtail lilies. I should have photographed them about a week ago, though - sorry. They are starting to fade a bit already.

...and yellow Loosestrife ( a type of lysimachia)

I don't have tea roses but I do have climbing roses, shrub roses and a small red miniature rose.

My containers on the deck are starting to fill in

Ok - so you can't really just sit and admire - as usual, there's lots of work still to do. But when you are doing something you love, it doesn't seem like work at all, does it?