June Is Bustin' Out All Over

I couldn't help stopping to take a photo as I backed out of the garage early one morning this week. The sun was shining between our houses and highlighting the birch and the fuzzy "Ogon' Spirea and the Weigela about to blossom.  The colors and textures and shapes of the green border in front are at their peak.

Three days later the Weigela has blossomed fully

The variety of pink shades and the variegated leaves are stunning.

But purple seems to be the predominant color in the rest of the plantings:

Old-fashioned bearded Iris

'Miss Kim' Lilac

Baptisia or False Indigo

Another bed of purple Iris

The deepest purple is the Siberian Iris 

between the two houses and in "the micro-climate"

they create for early--and late--blooms.

The yellow Iris glow

in the morning sunshine.

The Poppies will bloom next in

shocking watermelon pink!

From this morning's comics:

That's me!

Another Reason to Love a Late Spring Garden

The colors and the textures of the shocking pink and lacy blooms of a late azalea, a maroon mound of coral bell, chartreuse Creeping Jenny and the fading green leaves of daffodil and the luxuriant green of newly budding and spreading Indian Blanket.

Long LInes, Long List

The lines were long and my cart was full, but I finished 

shopping for the list of plants I had created earlier this spring.

I always have good luck at Country Flower Farms in Middlefield.

I was able to find the perennials I wanted to add or replace in the garden.  I replaced a Liatris that did not appear last year.  It was white and I found a purple one to replace it.  I also found a compact Rudbeckia "Little Goldstar". I'm hoping it makes it in the empty space in the garden where nothing will grow.  I'm not sure if it's the soil, some construction debris--or the rabbits!

Good luck, little coneflower!

I'll do what I can to nurture you.

Near the garden bench and one of the lavender planters,

I planted a Thrift or Seapink (Armeria maritima 'Bloodstone' to be specific...)

I am still trying to learn the Latin names of these plants!

It is deer-resistant--but what about the rabbits?

Both of these perennials are locally grown at Sunny Borders in Kensington.

The other perennials were for Sara's new butterfly garden:  a hollyhock,

a False Indigo plant, a globe Allium and summer stock.

More on this garden later!

Lily of the Valley under the Birches

I love late spring!

Mosquito-proofing A Favorite Garden Spot

I have read a lot recently in magazines and newspapers and emails about using lemon grass, rosemary and scented geranium as a mosquito-repellent planting.  When I was at the local garden center, I saw some signs around selected plants claiming mosquito-repelling qualities.  I bought them to try it out this season in the planter near the bistro table on our patio.

The East Indian lemon grass is on the upper left of the planter.

It is a container grass and will grow 24 to 36 inches tall.

The scented geranium Citronella is also expected to be 24-36 inches tall.

Not much other information on the tag about this one.

The rosemary is a roasting type so it should be upright also.

It was not included in the grouping of mosquito-repelling plants at the nursery,

but it was on several of the lists I read and considered part of "the triad".

I was confused when the nursery signs said "Mosquito plant" 

and the tag said scented Geranium "Citronella".  

I talked with the owner and he assured me this is the correct plant for my purposes.

But what plant is it?

I'm willing to try this combination as an experiment--

But then I read this article!

I'll let you know at the end of the season whether we suffered from

mosquito bites--or not.

Finally, Able to Do Some Gardening

With the late spring and my garden man requiring some surgery, I was finally able to get back in the garden the past two days.  I spent some time at Paul and Sandy's purchasing plants for the containers.

In the front, I had spray painted the old urn planter earlier in the spring and decided to go with a yellow and orange theme again this year.  Last year's yellow-themed planter took me right through the fall.

The plants include a Butterfly Marquerite Daisy (upper right), Superbells Sweet Tart Calibrachoa hybrid (middle right), Silver Falls Dichondra (middle bottom), Campfire Fireburst Bidens hybrid (middle bottom left) and Sunsatia Blood Orange Nemesia hybrid. All are Proven Winners--and I've always had good luck with that brand. They all bloom to hard frost and require no dead-heading.

That's great gardening!

Two more planters frame the front steps.

The Blue-eyed Beauty Osteospermum are not heat tolerant 

but they were out early protected 

under the porch roof from late frosts.

They will bloom again in the fall.

The spring-fall daisies will be covered in the heat

by Superbells Sweet Tart Caalibrachoa

and Blushing Princess Alyssum.

Their blue-centered daisy-like yellow petals 

were joined in this pot by heat-loving Supertunia Honey Petunias

and more Silver Falls Dichondra.

And the urn in front and the two cache-pots on the door step

will look great with the teak bench on the porch.

Garden man scrubbed it with bleach and water earlier this spring

to remove some of the mildew and return it to its lovely wood-grain.

Now we can sit and enjoy a late spring day!

Jade Plant

This plant has a new home with my grandsons. It is at least 8 years old but it is from cuttings from my Mother's plant from 26 years ago. Good luck to them.
I do have two more pots of cuttings.
Just in case!