June makes me happy!

So, the ugly winter is far behind us now, and I think I won't bring it up anymore. But if I did bring it up, I'd say that the nasty winter made most things about a month behind in the garden. Normally, May is when everything is blooming, lovely, and nearly perfect. This year, it's June that makes me happy. I think everything is in bloom at once. And with the soft summer nights, it's the perfect time to sit outside after dinner and watch the bird parade. Naturally, robins are a personal favorite. 

American Robin

Ruby Throated Hummingbird

Bluebird

House Sparrow

My containers are particularly lovely this year. Last year, I did a pot in shades of bright yellow and black, and that's what I was trying to duplicate here. But I accidentally bought a burgundy and yellow petunia instead of black and yellow, so I just went with it. 

 One thing I'm really enjoying is the opportunity to trial some plants for Proven Winners. I expected two or three plants, but I got a lot more than I bargained for. But what fun! Watch for these to come available to the general public in 2015. The annuals have been real winners so far. This is a Black Cherry Supertunia, and the deep, rich burgundy color is hard to catch on film. Trust me, it's gorgeous! And it is blooming like mad.

Black Cherry Supertunia

 Here's a fun one, it's Superbena Royale Cherryburst. It's like peppermint candy in flower form. Look for it next year!

Superbena Royale Cherryburst

This little one is Superbells Frostfire. It also blooms like crazy. I see why all three of these annuals are called Super-something. I've never seen such heavy blooms.And I am thrilled to be able to try these out for Proven Winners! I also have a few shrubs and perennials, but I'll feature them later in the summer after they grow up a bit.

 One thing that is really making me happy is how the roses are making a comeback. Winter was so rough on roses that I was convinced they wouldn't bloom at all. I'm so glad I was wrong! I did lose six different rose bushes, but I replaced them with even better varieties. Now the new ones may not have bloomed yet, but some of them are close. It's all very exciting for a rose lover.

Angelface-a lavender rose!

Zepherine Drouhin-thornless

Oranges and Lemons

Funny Face

Sunny Knockout-fragrant!

My herb garden is very enthusiastic this time of year. Here is chamomile in bloom with its charming little flowers, but if you look in the background, you'll see some mint reaching for the stars. Yes, I have the plant containers in pots sunk into the ground. But it's not helping. These are monster plants!

Chamomile with mint

If you know me, you know how much I like to use Sedum Angelina in my garden. Mostly I use it for the bright colors it turns in cool weather, but in summer it looks like this. I don't generally pay much attention to it's blooms, but this year they have blended with nearby blooms for a nice touch. Chartreuse green is the summer suit for it.

Sedum Angelina

After a slow start, the clematis lamp post looks better than ever! It has really been a bright spot as you pull in the drive.  

Polish Spirit and Jackmanii Supberba

 Because my garden is mostly bright and sunny, I tend to use a lot of drought resistant plants. Yarrow is a good one for me. This one is Apricot Delight. It's new and small, but I do like the way it coordinates with the terra cotta tiles.

Apricot Delight Yarrow

And you might think this one is more of a weed, but it's hard to beat for long lasting blooms. Moonshine Yarrow keeps these blooms for months without losing it's bright yellow color. And if you cut the flowers, they are great to use in dried flower arrangements.

Moonshine Yarrow

Does June make you happy, or would you rather enjoy a different month?

The Summer Fade

September often feels like summer, with warm weather and lots of sunshine. But this year it's a little cooler and some fall color is already starting to appear. It's a little sad. I mean, I love fall, don't get me wrong. But my flowers have been fabulous this year, and I don't want them to leave me. If only they all faded away in such a pretty, vintage looking manner like my Endless Summer hydrangea.

However, there are way more postives than negatives about September. I always see a big uptick in visits from butterflies, moths and skippers. I was so excited to see this Sphinx moth that I let a monarch go fluttering by! I regret it, however. I've only seen a few monarchs come by, and no way will they pose for my camera.

These common little cabbage butterflies appeared to be doing some type of mating ritual. They would only flutter wildly in each other's presence.

 Here was a quiet little guy, not normally seen around here, the Duskywing Moth. He's not flashy, but he is just as welcome as any other winged friend.

Mourning cloaks are even more rare, at least here. He was good at posing though, and let me take a lot of pix.

If you are familiar at all with butterflies, you'll know that they often like to settle on mud, to withdraw minerals from the soil. I saw this tiny little Eastern tailed blue butterfly circling around the bare ground where we just put in grass seed. She was so busy, that I knew I had little chance of getting the shot. But I finally gave up on the macro setting, and instead used the regular one and zoomed in from a little farther out. I just wished she would have opened up her wings so we could see the pretty lavender color inside.

 Skippers of various kinds are always seen here. They may be a little common, but they still make me smile. 

This Painted Lady was the least shy of any butterfly I've ever seen. She posed over and over again, with her wings stretched wide to show off her beauty.

Another good reason to love September are all of the dahlias in bloom. For years, I would plant them, then forget to dig up the tubers which aren't hardy here. Last year, I finally dug them up, but then neglected to put them safely into peat moss for storage. They just shriveled up and died. This year, I hope to do it right and save them for next year.

It's only been a month since we finished making our tiered herb garden. But the plants have really and filled in during that time. I'm so glad we did this. I use my herbs much more often now that they are so easy to get to outside the kitchen door. Now to remember to preserve the herbs for winter.

I particularly like this Magic Michael basil, just because it's lovely.

And just so you know it's me, one gratuitous shot of the ever gorgeous Queen Red Lime zinnias. You know you wanted to see one, admit it.

Summer Winding Down

Kids are heading back to school, and summer is coming to a close. In actuality, it will still feel like summer for weeks. Even when it begins to feel like fall, my garden will still look good for a few months yet. I often think how fun it would be to garden year round, but honestly, I enjoy the rest period during winter. And I do like the way everything sort of peaks at the end of summer.

We finally found a few hours to finish our herb garden project. It was pretty easy, the hardest part was planning out how we wanted to make it. The actual construction only took a few hours. Another difficult part was finding fresh herbs to plant at the end of the summer.  Before, I had some herbs scattered about the garden. Now I have easy access right outside the back door.

It hasn't been my best butterfly and moth year. I haven't seen a single monarch or buckeye yet, and very few swallowtails. My sedum Autumn Joy is about to bloom, and that's guaranteed to bring more butterflies. But what is interesting is the more uncommon species that have stopped by. I had to do some digging to find out this is a six spotted forester moth,

this is a false crocus geometer moth,

and this is a dogbane tiger moth.

 There were even some "fake" butterflies that turned out to be a Tiger Bee fly.

Silver spotted skippers, 

common skippers that I can never keep straight, 

and cabbage moth/butterflies are common visitors. Since I don't grow any cabbage crops, they don't bother me a bit.

 And the few swallowtails that do stop by are more than welcome here as summer winds down.

A Spring Chill

I guess I shouldn't complain. After all, there was snow today in the northeast! But I am not loving the spring chill. Brrrrr! We are almost to our frost free date, so I just wish the warmth would come back. So far, it hasn't stopped any blooms from arriving. The chocolate chip ajuga I featured in my last post has reached it's peak bloom. Right now it's like a purple welcome mat being rolled out from my front door.

 I use a lot of purple in the spring, especially out front. My Polish Spirit clematis is already blooming near the purple welcome mat.

Also peaking nearby is my double purple columbine. I love this one!

More purple tones are found on the creeping phlox. Some may say that these are over used. But they are so reliable, and bloom for such a long period of time. What's not to love?

I found more purple in the back, alliums starting to bloom....

chive flowers, and

iris! I wish I could put the scent into this photo. These iris are so beautiful that they don't even need to be fragrant. But they are. Ahhhh.

All is not purple in my garden. The red columbines love to seed themselves freely about. I don't mind, I just wish the purple ones would do the same.

Finally, my doublefile viburnum is in bloom. After three years, I had almost given up.

Miss Ladybug likes the viburnum too!

I've been watching the roses to see which bloom would show up first. As always, Funny Face will be the first arrival, if it ever warms up.

Now I'm not a big hosta fan, but there is one exception. I love this June hosta, and have given it a place of honor by the front door.

So chilly or not, my garden insists on blooming like it's warm out!