Monday, June 20, 2016

June Flowers

Delphiniums along my front garden fence. There are usually more of the pretty light blue ones, but Little Kitty took a nap among the foliage several weeks ago and smashed down the growing stems before I could stake them.... :-(  For such a cute little kitty, she sure can wreak things (she also killed a newly-planted magnolia tree last year by sharpening her claws on the trunk, and now I have to put chicken wire around all new trees). But these darker blue delphiniums weren't as comfortable to lie upon, I guess, so they look just fine.  :-)

We've had some hot days in the upper 90s this past week, so I've been limiting the amount of work I've been doing outside and working only in the mornings and evenings, sheltering in our air-conditioned house during the days. I've been doing a lot of watering too.

But the heat doesn't seem to have set back the flowers in any way. Here are a few highlights from around my gardens this past week:

The sweet peas and snapdragons on the east side of my house.
The sweet peas smell wonderful, although the heat is making them go to seed
more quickly than usual (I need to keep picking them and watering them.)

In the cutting garden, campanula (a biennial I planted last year), mixed bachelor buttons and larkspur beginning to bloom at the far end of  the bed.

Self-seeded blue bachelor buttons near the house.

Mixed Sweet Williams. I love all the different varieties, with their beautiful markings and patterns and colors -- they're every bit as interesting as primroses.


'Blueberry Hill' roses in front of the Tractor Shed.

'Bluebird' delphiniums, campanula, 'Johnson's Blue' geraniums and one single
allium caeruleum (I'm not sure what happened to the others I planted here...).

Red lilies, achillea and salvia in front of our addition. I wish I knew what kind of lilies these are, but I didn't record the cultivar when I planted them four or five years ago.

The Yellow Garden, filled with lilies, achillea and golden creeping Jenny.


The heat is continuing for the next ten days of the forecast, with nearly every day predicted to have temperatures in the 90s. I continue to hope for rain, as none of the storms that have dumped large amounts of rain on the Midwest seem to have included my gardens -- we are in a strange localized drought, having had barely an inch of rain for the past month. Apparently we are located in a "rain shadow" in which we can see rain in the distance that never seems to make it here. Here's hoping for a good soak before too much longer....

Happy Summer Solstice to everyone -- I hope you are not experiencing too much heat in your own gardens this month. Thanks for reading!  -Beth

16 comments:

  1. Your garden looks wonderful, like that explosion of flowers in June. Your darkblue Delphiniums look great against the white of the fence and house. I´m fond of Delphiniums but they are always trouble, first slugs and snails, then bunnies cut them but don´t eat them and now the stormy weather.....Have already put broken ones in vases.

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    1. Hi Janneke, I'm sorry to hear you have trouble with delphiniums -- we don't have too many slugs here (too hot and dry, I guess), although storms do seem to knock them over if I don't stake them a bit. I hope you will enjoy at least a few of their blooms this year, if only in vases! Thanks for stopping by, -Beth

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  2. So beautiful! So many nice things! Where shall I start? The blue delphiniums, I like the dark ones best anyhow, cat. The blue bachelor buttons, too. Sweet Williams are one of my favorite flowers. The yellow garden is filling in nicely. What you have created is my ideal of a flower garden. Who needs exotic plants when you can grow old favorites so well?

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    1. Thanks so much for you many kind words, Jane -- I'm glad you like the simple, old-fashioned flowers too! Best, -Beth

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  3. Fantastic color in your garden, even with the high heat! I love the blue delphiniums, I've never been able to grow them here. Sweet Williams are another favorite, too, I love their spicy fragrance and all the different color patterns. Everywhere you look in your garden, there is beauty.

    Oh no, extremely hot weather and no rain? We've had years like that too, the meteorologist would be promising rain, looking at radar, it would be a sure thing, and then poof, the storm would fizzle out just as it reached our doorstep and dissipate. For an old farm girl/gardener like me, it is heartbreaking.

    The silly kitty, I used to garden with a German Shepherd who loved to dig nice big holes in the soft dirt to lie down in. Who needs all those pesky, poky plants?

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    1. Hi Karen, yes, our pets can be a trial in the gardens at times, but who could live without them? A little chicken wire is a small price to pay for the company of Little Kitty.... :-) Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  4. Your garden looks wonderful, Beth. I like the delphiniums and bachelor's buttons and the yellow garden too. Hope you do get some rain soon. Looking forward to visiting your beautiful garden!

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    1. Beth, we were so glad you were able to visit the other day! Thanks so much for all your kind words. Best, -Beth

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  5. Beth your garden is just breathtaking! I love how you have laid out the cutting garden and I can see that you have a real eye for color because your plant combinations are so pretty. The first photo of the dark blue delphiniums is just stunning and I love the Sweet Williams and the Campanula too! Oh and those red lilies..haha..Let's just say I love everything! You are such a great gardener and it really shows!

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    1. Hi Kate, Thanks so much for all your nice comments! I'm so glad you like the flowers. Thanks for visiting! -Beth

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  6. So beautiful, Beth ! I like the colors very much. Your delphiniums are impressing ! I also love the sweet williams (didn't know the english name before :-) and I am happy that they are blooming here too.

    Greetings from Birgit

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    1. Hi Birgit, Thanks so much for stopping by! (I didn't know the German name for Sweet Williams, Bartnelke, either -- I'm so glad you used the word in your post about them!). Best Regards, -Beth

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  7. The garden is looking gorgeous! Your delphiniums are beautiful. I never grow them because I am too lazy to stake them, but they are such lovely flowers! I really like your yellow garden too. I have a yellow and blue garden that I have been working to move all the pink flowers out of (which of course have gone to seed all over the place!) I hope you get some rain soon!

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    1. Hi Indie, I'm with you about the staking -- I often put off doing it until it has rained and they're flopping over (not the best planning ahead!). But they're worth the hassle while they're blooming. Thanks for reading! -Beth

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  8. Oh your garden is so beautiful! I love those dephiniums...don't have much luck with them in my garden but they are among my favorite flowers. What a beautiful place to spend time!

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    1. Hi Sonia, I know delphs don't do very well in hotter climates like yours in Oklahoma, so don't feel bad -- we can't grow a lot of really nice warm-winter flowers up here that you can enjoy down south either, so I just enjoy them remotely via blogs like yours. I'm so glad you stopped by! -Beth

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