I love June in my garden… it is a bit noisy and bright. The birds are singing non-stop (make the most of their tweetings since next month they go quiet), the bees are buzzing and the flowers are zinging.
There are the planned combos, the happy accidents, symphonies in blue, pastel interludes and mellow-yellow bursts of sunshine that seem to reach a crescendo in June and this just the first weekend!
I don’t usually feature myself in the garden but as this is a blog to take part in a Chelsea Fringe Event organised by my friend (fellow garden blogger and writer) Michelle Chapman (@Malvernmeet and vegplotting blog).
So here I am in my garden enjoying the perfume of the wonderful yellow rose that is Rosa ‘Graham Thomas’. This is from David Austin Roses.
Then there is R. ‘Boscobel’. Another David Austin rose. This has buds and blooms to keep me going for weeks.
Making a deep and mysterious entry is R. ‘Munstead Wood’, which is so full of dark petals and alluring scent.
It is iris time in the garden and this is the darkest one I have. Sorry but will have to hunt for the label. I may be away some time…
I have only one huge poppy in the garden and it is definitely hot and ‘in your face’.
At a lower level Petunia ‘Queen of Hearts’ from Thompson & Morgan is making a bit of a show. It seems to weather the weather well and is flowering non-stop.
Fasciation in plants is sometimes ugly but here this hot pink argyranthemum gives me two for one pleasure as it faces both ways at the same time.
The temperature is still high in the herb garden with this zingy orange calendula. It is one of the brightest and keeps on flowering. I love using the petals in salads and to flavour and colour rice. This is from seed of a plant from Kim and Rob Hurst at The Cottage Herbary.
Cool down with this pastel but floriferous clematis ‘Bernadine’ from Raymond Evison. It has been flowering from late spring and will go on until autumn. Its great for a small garden as it will only grow from 90–120cm. It needs a cut back in winter or early spring.
Also lowering the temperature is this retro-looking argyranthemum, which combines well with Silene fimbriata, one of my all-time favourite border plants. This fringed silene looks good in bud, flowers forever and drapes itself elegantly around and about, and even when going toward seed-setting is attractive.
June is also a top month for blue flowers and the blue campanulas, mostly self-sown, are making a wonderful show. I did cut some for the vase and their time will soon be up, when they make way for agapanthus and salvias that are hovering in the background.
Funny how plants collect in places you hadn’t planned for! I had not thought to put pots on the edge of the mini-deck of my (a place for dreaming, thinking, drinking, writing, reading) garden room at the bottom of the plot, but there you go… best laid plans and all that. A small citrus plant Citrus hystrix (known for its lime-flavoured leaves and the bumpy or warty peel of its fruits, which adds strong flavour to curries), a pot of Argyranthemum frutescens that I won in a raffle, and two pots of pineapple-scented Chamaemelum nobile ‘Treneague’ and a pumpkin made by ceramic artist Dennis Fairweather seem to have arranged themselves to make an aromatic and ornamental tableau.
Foliage is important in my small garden and the large leaves of Hosta ‘Sum and Substance’ make a wonderful show just outside the back door.
Mostly I like foliage that I can eat and so this time of year is perfect as the lettuces in my raised bed are harvested daily (I am also looking forward to harvesting the lone pioneer potato). I have also been harvesting herbs on a daily basis.
From the greenhouse there has been an explosion of heat in the shape of a grafted chilli plug plant from Sutton’s ‘ Havanna Gold’. Mine don’t look very golden or orange at this moment, but I harvested them to keep the plant fruiting. I will wait to see if they ripen to a deeper colour, but I do know they are hot as a brave friend tested them for me… me – I am a wimp when it comes to mouth heat!
A hot spot to sit in the garden is the ivy-backed ‘sitooterie’ with a faux-lead roof. This was really the USP of the house when I looked at it seven years ago or more… I just loved this theatrical little hideaway seat and I do enjoy sitting under the vibrant rose, which was one of the inherited plants. I have no idea what it is… but it makes a great summer show and has good hips for later!
Thank you for coming with me on a trip round #mygardenrightnow. Together we have taken part virtually in the Chelsea Fringe, which comes to a close today (Sunday 4 June)
What a treat, dear Barbara, to walk your garden virtually. It is delightful!
Rosie, thank you. Come and visit one day. It is a small garden packed with plants…you could say it was full, with a waiting list…but somehow there seems always to be room for just one more plant… or three!
It’s lovely to see you in your garden Barbara… how come I’d not noticed you have so many roses before?
Thank you Michelle: it has been fun to share the garden with so many friends. Yes there are several roses, more than I had realised as well! This year they are in such good health and they are bursting with buds. I think I need to do a little inventory, while there are still labels!
Your beautiful garden takes my breath away. I always learn something from you. Thank you for sharing and thank you for being YOU!
Hello Hilda, it is good to show you the garden. It is relatively small and packed with plants. I remember visiting your lovely garden in Boston.
Enjoy the summer!
Wonderful, beautiful garden! Each photo a new delight, but I find myself scrolling back up to admire the Roses again!
Hi Lea, thank you for your comment about the garden. I realise that I seem to have numbers of roses in my small garden. Probably too many. But can you have too many roses? They are looking good this year…so weeks of June flowers and perfume ahead!
I also have many plants in containers. Watering can cause problems even if we have had good rain! It takes a while but it is also a good thinking time and space!
Oh my, yellow roses are my favorites. Your garden is full of color. Beautiful!!
Lisa: thanks for visiting the garden in this virtual Chelsea Fringe event. I live that yellow rose too! And it is so fragrant.
What a treat to see you in your glorious garden. Such a lot of colour and scent there. I love the roses, and the clematis (always useful to have a good short climber to hide the legs of climbing roses.) And I would be quite happy sitting out there under your beautiful sitooterie. Looks like heaven to me. Thanks for sharing your garden and for all the great ideas which I have madly scribbled down on paper. Much love- karen x
Really lovely garden, Barbara, and it was great to meet you this week in person.
Glad you enjoyed the virtual garden and thank you Fiona. Likewise, it was good to meet you and I look forward to seeing you on another garden occasion! I am just home, watering, watering and picking fruit!