Garden Bloggers Bloomday June 2023

Great Spangled Fritillary on orange butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa).

The 15th of the month is Garden Blogger's Bloom Day, hosted by Carol Michel's May Dreams Garden Blog.

The severe drought continues here in my corner of northwestern Virginia (Zone 6B)--we've had only a half inch of rain since the beginning of the month, on top of the driest April and May since I've lived here. I don't know if the drought is contributing to it, but we also seem to be having the worst tick season yet--I've been bitten twice in as many months while working in the confines of my garden! That last one was a lone star tick, a recent introduction brought by deer.

Speaking of which, the local deer have been incredibly voracious: I've hardly seen a flower from any of my daylilies. The buds get eaten before they have a chance to open! They've decimated my Coneflowers and phlox too. But there are still a few blooms from plants that don't appeal as much to these beasts. The orange butterfly weed is out in force, though even the 'Hello Yellow' variety got munched back.

The chiggers, that scourge of the rural south, are also out in force and viscious--I have to douse myself in insect repellent just to go out into my garden, and even then it's likely I'll get at least a few bites!

 

Asian lilies and red-hot pokers.

Red and orange Asian lilies.

 

The Asian lilies bloomed, but this year, their glory was brief. These photos were taken four days ago, this morning the flowers were all gone, devoured by the deer. That's so unusual--I was under the impression that Asian lilies were toxic to most animals, including deer, and these flowers had never been touched before. What could be going on? Have deer suddenly developed an immunity to the toxins, or have they become suicidal?

The Red-hot pokers are still holding on, only a few spikes have been chewed off. The Diervilla 'Kodiak Black' is blooming. So are the foxglove pentstemons and blue Centaurea in the Herb bed.

 

Diervilla 'Kodiak Black'

Centaurea 'Emperor William'

Foxglove penstemon.

 

'Incrediball' and my new Oak leaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' are blooming, and it looks as if 'Little Quick Fire' will bloom later on, but I doubt that my other two hydrangeas will present much bloom this year--the old wood died back to the ground during our dry spring.

 

Oakleaf hydrangea 'Ruby Slippers' and 'Incrediball' in background.

Oakleaf hydrangea and tradescantia.

My front yard offers welcome shade at this time of the year, and a variety of blooms: Gaillardia "Arizona Sun', a pink bee balm in the shade, and two varieties of lavender. The daffodil foliage is dying back, but the annuals that were intended to hide the dying foliage are being munched by the deer!

 

My front yard on June Bloom Day--Gaillardias in front.

Pink Monardas under the cherry tree.

Lavender under yellow magnolia tree.

Lavender and yarrow by the driveway.

The bed by the front driveway sports an 'Admiration' barberry with lavender (Lavandula 'Grosso') and red yarrow.

 

Clary sage in bud.

Although not in bloom yet, the buds of the clary sage (Salvia sclarea) I grew from seed last year are developing. This is a biennial native to the Mediterranean region which I've never grown before--I can't wait to see what the flowers will look like! The leaves are somewhat fuzzy and tough, the plant is usually cultivated for its medicinal oils.

 

Ceanothus 'Gloire de Versailles'

This New Jersey tea plant 'Gloire de Versailles' is a hybrid between a native eastern variety and a California one. Supposed to be deer-resistant, I've had to put a tomato cage around mine to keep if from being devoured by deer, like many other plants in my garden--it's finally making some progress.

More red-hot pokers (Kniphofia) on the west side.

Hanging basket with Calibrachoas on the back deck.

I have a number of hanging baskets with plants on the porch and the back deck, but these haven't grown enough to make much of a show, except for these Calibrachoas. As the summer progresses, I hope they'll make a better showing.

The Lilies in My Field

Stella de Oro daylilies.

As May elides into June, the lilies in my garden come into their own with the border of Stella de Oro daylilies in the "Little Indians" bed leading the way. This long border bed was started seven years ago by removing some two feet of skimpy sod in front of a row of ten small Arbor Vitae. I planted a row of boxwoods in front of the Arbor Vitae to maintain the backdrop of evergreens, and gradually began to establish other perennials in front to add color. Over the years as the arbor vitae sprang upwards, the border was widened. I planted the iris my mother grew in her garden, catmint, Virginia sweetspire (Itea virginica 'Little Henry'), bluestar (Amsonia hubrichtii), asters (Symphyotrichum laevis), butterfly weed (Asclepias tuberosa), and 'Autumn Joy' sedums. A butterfly bush (Buddleia hybrid), garden phlox, and ten tiny cuttings of  Stella de Oro daylilies I got at a bargain price went in next.

Little Indians bed seen from the other end.

As my collection of plants has grown, the bed has been reworked to what you see here. Last fall, the front part of the bed was becoming so crowded, that I dug up and moved the row of Stella de Oro daylilies out another couple of feet and divided some of the largest ones to obtain a few more plants. Other plants were added: an Itoh peony, 'Bartzella,' lavender grown from seeds of my lavender plants in the front yard, as well as other varieties bought at a local lavender farm--Lavender Hill--and swamp sunflowers from another bed.

The Little Indians bed from the deck

Asian lilies in the long island bed below the deck

Asian lilies.

The Asian lilies in the long island bed below the deck put on a great display each year, despite the voles eating some of the bulbs every winter. This spring I bought another pack of the same bulbs in assorted colors to put in at the other end of the bed. They don't look like much right now, but eventually I hope they'll catch up with the more established patch.

The long island bed

Orange lilies

I'd hoped to expand the bed below my 'Autumn Blaze' maple by buying more of the same variety of yellow daylilies last fall, but but couldn't find any--as with many plants, some varieties don't seem to last very long in commercial trade, so I subdivided a couple of the larger plants. Unfortunately, the divisions are too small to offer much bloom this summer, but I hope they'll become large enough to fill out by next year.

Yellow daylilies.

Yellow daylilies under maple tree.

Remembering how bare this side of the house was when we moved in, I love how the trees and shrubs have now grown large enough to cast some shade. The other daylilies in this bed and the one next to it will bloom later, and should extend the daylily season well into fall.

June's Jazzy Colors

Red Asian lilies

This has been the wettest month to date since we've lived in this area--my rain gauge has measured over 12 inches of rain so far, and the month is not quite over yet. My garden is usually a riot of colors at this time of the year, but this year, as you can see, the rains are making it spectacular! The Asian lilies started their display about two weeks ago, with red leading the way. Bright orange and yellow-orange follow as the red flowers begin to fade, and finally the yellow and pink varieties come into bloom.

Red and orange lilies

Orange and Yellow lilies

Earlier in the month the late-blooming native Azalea bakerii put on a show with orange-red blossoms, while the Azalea 'Weston's Innocence' (an Azalea viscosum hybrid) gives the eye a rest with its white scented blooms.

Azalea Bakerii

Azalea 'Weston's Innocence'

The Little Indians border continues to develop into a fanciful layer of colors. The pale gold of the Stella d'Oro daylilies complements the airy blue spikes of the Catmint. The wavy cream wands of the Itea virginiana 'Little Henry' bushes are beyond, with bright orange Butterfly Weed (Asclepias) that are just starting to bloom. I've seen a number of butterflies visiting these, including some lovely Spangled Fritillaries. Six years ago when we moved here the arbor vitae were these sad, stunted, deer-chewed evergreens, but with lots of fertilizer and TLC they have grown to more than seven feet tall!

The Little Indians in June

This pink Bee Balm (Monarda) that I had planted five years ago was not prospering in the 'Badlands' as Herb calls the weedy rear flowerbed--it had never bloomed there. Last fall I dug it up and transplanted it to the east bed where the soil retains more moisture, and lo and behold, this year it's blooming profusely! The Mexican Feathergrass (Nassella tenuissima) planted a couple of years ago seems to be spreading, with new clumps cropping up here and there--this is one of the loveliest ornamental grasses, specially striking when you see its delicate blades waving in a breeze.

The east bed in June

Pink Bee Balm (Monarda)

The yellow Daylilies under the red maple tree are lush. The new bed beyond was planted earlier this spring with a group of discontinued Daylilies on sale from the Gilbert H. Wild & Son catalog. A few flowers of these new varieties have opened, but it will probably take at least another year, maybe two, before they can match the splendor of the older bed.

Daylilies (Hemerocallis) under red maple tree.

West side garden

The native Wafer Ash tree (Ptelea trifoliata) I planted last fall died back to the ground and took such a long time to re-sprout I thought it was a goner, but it's finally making some progress with all this rain. It should eventually grow into a small tree; I wonder how long that will take?

Wafer Ash tree (Ptelea trifoliata)

The new raised bed for veggies is also coming along, with the sugar snap peas almost ready to harvest. The artichokes are growing so slowly, I don't know that they will yield much in the way of edibles, but it's fun to try something new anyway.

New raised bed for veggies

Lavender in the front yard

Front yard on a rainy evening

The lavender in the front is so lush--the bees love it! The front yard is finally shaping up as I envisioned, a Persian carpet with an intricate interweaving of colors and textures.

Local Color in My Garden

Etoile Voilette

Here's some stunning photos of the flowers in my garden this year. Japanese gardens are traditionally subdued: white flowers and perhaps a touch of red are allowed, but the rest of the garden is supposed to be textures and shades of greens.

Pink iris.

In American gardens all color combinations are the rule. I'm as American as it gets when it comes to gardens: ecclectic in choice of plant materials, and as an artist, the more color the better!  I'd find it hard to believe that any color in nature actually clashes with another, though some combinations do look better than others.

Red yarrow, white salvia with barberry, peonies, lavender and roses.

This is what the front bed by the garage looked like a month ago. A couple of weeks later the peonies have set seed, the yarrow flowers faded to pinkish cream, and the lavender is in full bloom, for a different combination of colors

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Thinking about the delightful "Dawn and Dusk' combination of climbing rose and clematis, I found a photo from 2013, right after those two had been planted and I was putting in the flame azalea on the east side of the house.

Planting the flame azalea on the east side of the house.

Four years later.

Here's what that spot looks like today--what an amazing difference a few years' growth can make! Several other plants have been added over the intervening years, of course.

Columbine var. "blue Barlow"

This particular deep blue columbine that I planted last year is odd in that it lacks the classic spurs of the Aquilegia species--I wonder what it was hybridized with? The color is fabulous, anyway.

The Little Indians, early June

The Little Indians bed is now in summer mode, lush with Stella d'Oro daylilies and orange asclepias. A shot of it earlier in the spring shows the seasonal progression.

The Little Indians, mid-May.

Yellow daylilies under the red maple.

Red Alchillea with orange Kniphofia (Red hot poker) and Catmint

Last year I bought an assortment of a dozen unnamed varieties of Asian lilies to fill in the island bed in back. I got them in the ground a bit late in the season and only a couple of them bloomed, rather late--in September! After a year of settling in, this summer they have presented some spectacular blooms--a riot of color!

Lilies starting to bloom

Further along

Bicolor zinger: yellow tipped with orange

Vibrant orange

Pale pink

Pure yellow

Now that I see their colors and different heights, I may dig up some of these lilies and re-arrange them for more pleasing display of color. It may be that the height difference is more due to soil fertility than genetic--that remains to be seen. My garden is my laboratory, where the bare earth is transmuted into gold by the sweat of my brow.