June is Bustin' Out All Over!

The front steps today. I just got the bright orange New Guinea Impatiens and the beautiful multicolored leaved Geranium, bottom left. Isn't that a great variegated foliage? My new Lapis blue ceramic planter at the top, a present from Mary. The steps are a bit dirty here. Our beloved Chipmonks "play" in all the pots at night, and every morning I have to sweep the dirt back into the planters, lol. 

All photos are clickable to enlarge and enjoy!

The front yard's Iris selections. The lawn and shrubbery are lush this year, the result of the frequent rain we've had this spring. We have a family of chickadees in the bird house, background right: Mama, papa and (we think) 4 babies. The parents spend most of the day flying in and out of the house, feeding their chicks.

The first year this peony has bloomed! They have such a gorgeous scent. There werr virtually no flowers, and no flower gardens when I moved here. Perennial gardening is really one of my most favorite hobbies, and makes it worth getting up each day!

Yellow and white iris stand out perfectly in front of the brick chimney.

 A very pale blue/lavender iris in the front yard. These were given to me last year by my friend Nikki's mother, Betsy. The dark purple/bronze iris, below, is from her, too, as well as the yellow/white variety above. A huge thanks to Betsy! They've made my iris year!

Purple/Bronze hybrid iris. These are planted next to the vegetable garden. I have them in three different gardens.

My frilly pink iris stands in front of the dark purple Siberian iris in the background. The spiral leaves of my Tiger lilies can be seen, as well as the white/green variegated leaves of a summer ornamental grass.

The pale blue iris present a few shades darker until the buds open. This adds to the riot of colors in the flowerbeds, as it takes about a week for all of the buds to open fully. I love the contrast with the darker iris among them.

 

Yellow german iris surround the cedar tree on the corner of the porch. That's the front yard in the background. Two types of day lilies are planted around these yellow iris and will be blooming in a few weeks.

The peony as a bud, with Siberian iris behind them. The pale blue and dark purple hybrid iris can be seen in the background. 

A nice portrait of the pink hybrid. It's really a pale peach, with just a tint of yellow to the petals and beard.

The yellow iris, with Feverfew around them. That old-fashioned perennial has profuse white daisy-like flowers and will be fully blooming in a couple of weeks. The small yellow flowers at the bottom are wild Mustard.

The cast iron planters this year have geraniums, spike plants and those pretty salmon flowers. They're a new variety of annual, and I can't remember the name. It takes me a while before I commit new things to memory! That salmon matches the house color almost exactly, and should continue to bloom, and cascade down the planter all summer. I wintered-over 4 geraniums in the attic, so they are much larger than the ones I usually buy for Memorial Day. I might find a couple more small foliage plants for them before these Victorian planters are "perfect" this year, lol.

I know this plant as a Spiderwort, but it's technically a Tradescanthia. The flowers only last one day, but there are many multiples on each plant, so the plants bloom for a couple of weeks. These are from my family's old home. 

The biggest group of Siberians I have. The new blue gazing ball is in the background. The ancient tree trunk holds it perfectly, as if grasping it.

More of the pale and dark iris combination. I'm so pleased this year; iris are my favorite flowers.

My corner of the vegetable garden. I'm only doing about 9 x 12 feet this year. I have 5 dill plants, 5 parsleys, 10 basil and 10 tomatoes. I have all the tomato varieties I had last year, including the great heirloom Brandywines, and have added Sweet 100 cherry tomatoes and San Marzano plum tomatoes. After the plants were in the ground, I covered the area around them with wet newspapers and then a layer of saltmeadow, weedless, hay. This will keep new weeds from growing and hold the moisture in during the hot, dry, summer months. This treatment worked out really well last year. This year there is black mulch in between the garden plots and looks great.

June's peas are climbing on multiple strings of fishing line and starting to flower. They are inside a wire fence enclosure, which is inside the main fenced garden to ensure the rabbits only much on the lawn this year.

The vegetable garden, Year Two, at dusk. My garden plot is on the left, and June's at the right. The blue barrel is filled with more of the saltmeadow hay. You can see the nice contrast of the golden hay, brown soil and black mulch. The fence is made of whole cedar posts and green chicken wire fencing. I have hostas, iris, morning glories, sunflowers, pumpkins, ferns, golden rod, sedums, zinnias and Solomon Seals around the perimeter. Most are only a few inches tall right now, but I think it's going to be quite beautiful by mid-summer.