June Highlights

I know - it's July (how did that happen - I feel like I'm still at the end of May) and how ever behind I am I think I should stop and look at what filled the garden during June. It's the best month in my garden, however much year round planting I do, by mid July things can look a little blown and tired.

It's so easy to rush headlong onward and miss the gorgeous flowers, plants and smells of early summer. I haven't been in my garden much recently, regular readers will know why, except to loll in my hammock limply, last week was solid rain (good for the garden I know) and latterly blustery wind, so the following images were snatched in fragmented moments throughout the month.

Early June

Gorgeous Iris - so short lived but so lovely.

Beautiful Astrantia, spiky Aquilegia Green Apples and a carpet of Osteospermum and Mexican Daisies following the sun.

Mid June

My gorgeous Ginger Snap Climbing Rose - it smells divine.

My nine foot foxglove - and it's still going!!

The Broad beans are ready...

but I think I only have one pear and one apple - my trees need attention!

but there were strawberries!

The perennial Geraniums loved the sun...

as did the soft, silvery Stachys with Mexican Daisies and Lychnis in the background.

I can never get enough of Oriental Poppies, again such brief blooms but so spectacular.

A shady corner lightened by the lovely starry Campanula that was one of the very few things I saved from the unkempt and bramble strewn garden we inherited.

and a Ligularia Sky Rocket that I planted against a dark, purply Cotinus.

Late June

Purples of bee buzzed Lavender, Geraniums and Triteleia.

The heady scent of Jasmine Clotted Cream cascading across the window, it's flowered more this year than ever before, perhaps something to do with it's radical prune last winter. 

The fiery strength of the Californian Poppy...

and the promise of Agapanthus overload - these are just 5 of my 10 buds...

and the delicate fragrance of the Trachelospermum again flowering better than ever before. It seems  to appeal as much to the insects as it does to me!!

So now on to July, the sun is back (sporadically) and the summer holidays approach, and everything is still growing and falling about fit to bust. 

Staking, weeding and deadheading is essential, but somehow BBQing, G+Ting and Pimmsing seems to be more appealing - guests are on the horizon so entertaining will take over - hopefully lots of it in the garden!

Hey-ho! Cheers my dears!