Sunday, June 14, 2009

Garden Blogger's Bloom Day - June 15, 2009

It is hard to believe it is June 15th, already.
Here in Utah we've had very cool weather, 60's, mostly, which is forecast to end this week. My irises are almost done blooming, and the roses are just beginning to bloom, along with a coreopsis I'd forgotten I'd planted -
This is a new spiderwort, I have a nice pink and the 'fuchsia-pink' colors, too.
This bed is a battleground. you can't see the (white) yarrow that is marching in from the north, or the ajuga coming from the west. They will have a tough fight with this red valerian. It has spread into the gravel walk way , and I am going to try and exterminate that white yarrow. There is a yellow siberian iris I'd forgotten that I'd planted there, too, and you can see an iris in the upper left.
Some penstemon in a bed that has been overtaken by grass.
Lupine
Columbine
Foxglove
California poppies, just about to 'pop' their little hats off.
Nigella, or love-in-a-mist . This stuff spreads everywhere, but I like it anyway.
Sage - love the purple/blue combo
Caribbean crush verbascum! a new addition to my spring bed.
Those are my highlights for June.
Head over to Carol's May Dreams Gardens to enjoy everyone else's garden.
Thanks to Carol for hosting this fun event in the blogosphere!

26 comments:

Liisa said...

Your lupines are lovely! Makes me think about adding them to my beds next year. :-)

donna said...

I don't know red valerian, but I think I might like getting to know it better. That's a very fun photo of your California poppy and cute about the little hats getting ready to pop off. Wishing you a little warmth. It's been a cool June here, too. The last two days have been warm though.

Kim said...

Your flowers are lovely, and I especially like that Verbascum!

niartist said...

Gorgeous - those lupine love where they are, huh? Mine didn't do well this year at all. We have had similar weather here in WNY, very cool - not a lot of sun ... I think that might be the reason. Perhaps they'll flourish a little later in the season? Anyway - gorgeous collection you have. I'll keep popping back by to see it grow!

Layanee said...

The nigella is spectacular. Wish I had thought to plant that. I'll just have to enjoy it here.

Daphne said...

Wow such pretty lupines. It makes me want to plant them in my garden. I think they might get a bit big for my little border though.

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

I also love that Lupine. It's a great color and matches the color of the Aquilegia in the next photo. (Can you tell I like purple?) Your Penstemon is beautiful too, such an electric blue. Your photo of the California Poppies makes me smile.

Anonymous said...

When you see the buds, it is easy to see why they are called poppies.
Donna

Dreamybee said...

Well, your garden may be raging wildly out of control, but it's lovely anyway! :)

HappyMouffetard said...

What a beautiful photo of the Nigella - so romantic looking.

healingmagichands said...

I have lots of yarrow in several colors, but you do have to keep a lid on it. It does make such a great statement when it is blooming, though.

I love that Love in a mist. I grew it once way back when I lived in CA and it was really beautiful and were great flower arrangement accents. I'd forgotten all about it, I must see about getting it established in a good spot around here.

Thanks for sharing all your lovely blooms.

Jan said...

It was so lovely to see your blooming flowers, many of which I cannot grow or are used as winter annuals not summer ones. I wish you could send some of that cool air down South. The heat index today was 110 at our home.

Jan
Always Growing

Karen - An Artist's Garden said...

Lovely Nigella, it does look so good planted in a large clump like yours is. I enjoy the picture of the california poppies "hats" - makes me smile every time I walk past them in my own garden.
K

Kylee Baumle said...

The picture of your California poppies with their "hats" is just adorable! Made me laugh out loud! Beautiful blooms you have there, Muum!

Muum said...

thanks for all your kind comments!
It is so much fun to share some of my own faves with you, and great to hear from you all.

Glad so many of you enjoyed the poppy 'hats' as much as I did.

Lilisa, niartist, Daphne, and Mr MacGregor's Daughter -
those lupines are such a unique plant, aren't they? I have some that seeded in the rock and thyme pathway, and since they don't move well, I just let them grow there.


Donna -
I DO recommend the red valerian, but it IS pretty 'spready', so be warned.

Kim -
the Verbascum is something I have been wanting for some time. I hope mine reseeds and spreads and hangs around forever.

Layanee, HappyMouffetard, healingmagichands,and Karen -
glad you like the Nigella, we have a love/hate relationship with it around here - DH is known to try to exterminate them in the walking garden by ripping them 'all' out, I love them, and weed out what is in the way. But I think we'll have them forever, they are such a prolific self-seeder!

Jan,
I'd be happy to send some of our cool weather to you, we are still having rainy, cool weather here! crazy!

~~Rhonda said...

Your blossoms are lovely! I really enjoyed the tour of your garden. Thanks for sharing! ~~Rhonda

Anonymous said...

Wow you have some fantastic blooms in the garden. I've grown Valerian before, but mine withered away last fall.

Unknown said...

Lovely, Muum! I like that red Valerian (we just got some of that in at the garden center) and I agree with your wholeheartedly on the sage flowers.

What I really adore are those California poppies (yes, you hear jealousy--I've scattered their seeds about for at least 3 years now, with no result) and that blue penstemon! Any secrets on starting the poppies, or any more detail you can give me on the penstemon?

Muum said...

Rhonda, Perennialgardener and Blackswamp girl, thanks for your kind words.

As far as the poppies and pentsemon, I am not sure .. I am guessing that the dry, deserty, poor soil type environment (w/ occasional rain/irrigation) is the best culture for the poppies and the pentsemon. Sometimes 'too wet' and'too humid' is no good for these types of plants.

Here, though, I have my struggling hydrangea to remind me of the advantages of the midwest :)

Unknown said...

I must be an honorary Western girl, then! I had to give my hydrangeas away (except for my oakleaf, it's a trooper) and penstemons, lavenders, and other rugged plants love my garden. It's just those darn poppies that don't seem to like me... probably because they know I want to grow them so badly. *sigh*

By the way, can you tell me which penstemon that is? I would like to keep an eye out for it... :)

Kylee Baumle said...

Traci DiSabato-Aust says to sow poppy seeds when it's still cold, like March. Just rough up the soil and sprinkle them in.

My mom also said you can put them in ice cubes and then plant them. So it's the cold that's the key.

I've always had problems with poppies, too, except for the Shirley Poppies, but this year I have CALIFORNIA POPPIES BLOOMING! And even some breadseed poppies! So it must be like they say, because that's the only thing I did differently than previous years.

Avis said...

Everything looks gorgeous. I especially love the columbine. I've planted some of the Nigella in containers on my balcony garden. I hope mine grows to look like yours. Very ethereal.

Muum said...

Avis - thanks for your generous words. I am thinking it is funny that something that is so prolific in my yard is something we weed it out to make room for other plants, yet it has gotten the most comments!

re the California poppies: I don't plant them, (the yellow ones), they are not as prolific as the Nigella, but they do self seed around the yard. I've added some white and rose colored ones, usually just planting them in those little peat pots and planting them out later (they don't transplant well!). I appreciate Kylee's advice about planting them. Maybe I'll add some more info about them in a post, when I get a chance!

Muum said...

Kim, I am being lazy here, but I found the tag that goes to the penstemon.. 'Margarita BOP'

apparently it flourishes when neglected and allowed to be overrun with grass ..

never see THAT info on a tag, do you? ha!

Unknown said...

hahahaha... no, I have NEVER seen that kind of info on a tag. I like it, though! :)

Corner Gardener Sue said...

I hope my love in a mist flowers get as thick as yours, and my lupine I planted this summer comes back and blooms next year. Lovely blooms and blog! I have borage this year, and haven't done a thing with it, including putting it on my GBBD post.