Several days late! We were away for a week — including days spent at Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, and Winterthur Museum & Gardens — and catching up after returning home is proving difficult. But we have blooms in the yard!
It’s raining as I type and there are flood watches throughout almost the whole state of New Hampshire; we’ve received 3/4 inch here today, and so far for the month of June a little over 3 inches total. The average high temperature from 1-15 June was 68.4°F, with a range from 89.1 to 50°F . The low temps on the other hand had a pretty narrow range, from 44.1 to 57.6°F, with an average low of 53°F.
FRONT YARD
Because of some hard frost or freeze in Februrary, rumour has it, the flower buds on a lot of our shrubs and pretty much all our peach trees were zapped, so no flowers at all on the peach trees (and no peaches to look forward to in August) and blossoms only on the parts of the shrubs that were covered by snow at the time. Hence, our rhododendrons, which in a typical year (what’s that?) put on a boisterous show, were much more subdued this spring.
Oddly, the orange-red and cream azaleas (which we didn’t plant) didn’t suffer from this weather event.
I didn’t plant these either but they showed up a few years ago and have increased in number since then. They’re Spanish bluebells (Hyacinthoides hispanica) and I guess they are considered invasive some places, and merely “robust” elsewhere. These are right in a path where I wheel a wheelbarrow; they don’t seem to mind.
Lupines have been putting on their show for a couple of weeks now …
… as have the perennial bachelor buttons (Centaurea montana) and the Amsonia tabernaemontana including the ‘Blue Ice’ variety.
Also in the front are one of the carpets of mother of thyme (Thymus praecox), facing a bunch of pink wild geraniums, and a dainty ‘mourning widow’ geranium.
The kousa dogwood (here when we bought the property almost 14 years ago) is blooming at the moment, with an abundance of flowers. They look greenish here but they’re whiter IRL.
SIDE YARD & VEGETABLE GARDEN
This ‘Tinkerbelle’ lilac (Syringa ‘Bailbelle’ TINKERBELLE) bloomed better than usual, I think due to my having pruned the weeping crabapple to give that part of the bed more light and space.
This drumstick primula (Primula denticulata) is situated in a semi-shady spot between the front and side gardens, in what I call the corner garden, around and under the weeping ‘Red Jade’ crabapple. I saw these primroses at The Fells in Newbury a few years ago and was inpsired to get one. And maybe more soon.
The irises in my garden and all around town are looking great this year.
And in the vegetable garden, where I’ve just planted tomato and basil starts this week, the shelling peas (planted 24 April) are flowering, the arugula and kale are ready for harvesting, the bean leaves are being eaten by slugs, and I found the first two garlic scapes today. A marigold freebie from a local micro-nursery is thriving.
BACK YARD
The lilacs seem like months ago, but here they were at the end of May and start of June.
I bought a ‘Cherries Jubilee’ baptisia a few weeks ago (left) and am happy to see what I think is a Decadence ‘Pink Truffle’ baptisia (right) blooming next to it. I thought I had lost the ‘Pink Truffle.’
In the back border, only one globeflower (Trollius europaeus ‘Superbus’) bloom appeared this year on a much-diminished plant. Usually it’s covered in bright yellow flowers. At 13 years old, maybe it’s finished? I’ll highlight it in case this is its final season.
Also in the back yard: an angelica in bud, lots of snowdrop anemone (Anemone sylvestris), flowering chives, comfrey, a white campion, what I think is ‘May Night’ salvia, hawkweed, a newly planted and long sought-after Thalictrum ‘Nimbus Pink’ (whose root system looked none too good when I unpotted it; fingers crossed), and one of the several woodland phlox (P. divaricata).
FRUIT GUILD
Not a lot blooming here, just the ‘Carolina’ baptisias and some sweet William (Dianthus barbatus) that comes back every year from a Botanical Interests mix.
ROCK WALL
SHADE
The Rodgersia is blooming now and it smells heavenly. I love the colours in the shade garden.
See you next month, I hope.
Garden Bloggers’ Bloom Day is hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens. (She’s in USDA hardiness zone 6a in Indiana and I’m in zone 5a in New Hampshire.)
Featured image is blooming Rodgersia and a Liberty hosta.
So much blooming! I’m impressed by your mother of thyme.
Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center, and Winterthur Museum & Gardens – I’m a bit envious that you live where you can visit all these places. It must have been a wonderful time. Your garden is overflowing with beautiful flowers, and it shows that so much love has been put into it. The shade garden looks like a very inviting place, and a bit of fragrance makes everything magical. I enjoyed this post very much.
We live about 400 miles away from all these places (decades ago we lived much closer) and every now and then just have to visit anyway. I loved your post in memory of Dustin, and I loved all the insects you showcased in your photos.
This is a beautiful post! There is nothing like a garden in bloom.